The Supercritical Extraction and Microencapsulation of Anthocyanins from Red Jambo Peel (Syzygium malaccense): A Sustainable Approach for Functional Ingredients

This study aimed to extract and microencapsulate anthocyanins from the red jambo fruit using supercritical fluid extraction with a co-solvent, targeting applications in functional ingredients. The red jambo peel was pre-processed in two forms, crushed and peeled only, and characterized in terms of proximate composition and bioactive compounds. The supercritical extraction bed was evaluated for particle diameter, apparent density, real density, and porosity. Supercritical fluid extraction was performed at 50 °C and 350 bar using acidified water as a co-solvent to obtain aqueous extracts. The extracts were microencapsulated to improve the availability of bioactives for use as functional ingredients. The extracts and microcapsules were analyzed for their bioactive compound content and antioxidant activity. The crushed sample showed greater anthocyanin content than the peeled sample; however, both samplescontents were higher than those reported in previous studies for conventional extraction techniques. The aqueous extracts and microcapsules exhibited high levels of anthocyanins, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity. These results demonstrate that supercritical fluid extraction is an efficient and sustainable technique for obtaining aqueous extracts rich in anthocyanins and related antioxidant compounds and free of organic solvents, with promising applications in the food, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries, adding value to species and diversifying the sources of anthocyanins.