Ajuga remota Benth, (Lamiaceae), is a medicinal plan rich in polyphenolic compounds and strong antioxidant activity; however, the practical application of its extract is limited by poor stability under environmental stress conditions. This study investigated the microencapsulation of A. remota Benth extract via spray drying as a stabilization strategy, aiming to protect its bioactive components from degradation induced by oxygen, light, and heat. The study compared five combinations of coating materials physicochemical properties of the microcapsules, including encapsulation efficiency, particle size, moisture content, and phenolic release, were evaluated. The findings indicated that the spray-drying process effectively generated microcapsules with a protective shell-forming configuration. Among the formulations, Arabic gum combined 10% inulin yielded the highest encapsulation efficiency (94.05%), higher water solubility index (91.41%), and effective phenolic release (4.4 mg GA/g). This formulation also displayed good stability, with a moisture content of only 2.03%. These findings indicate that the Arabic gum and inulin blend is a good coating material for microencapsulating A. remota Benth extract, for enhanced product stability and bioactivity in food and pharmaceutical sectors.
Chala et al. (Tue,) studied this question.