CO-ENCAPSULATION OF Lactiplantibacillus plantarum AND BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS FROM JAMBOLAN (Syzygium cumini)
complex coacervation, Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels, probiotics, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, coencapsulated.
There is a growing demand for products containing probiotics and extracts rich in phenolic compounds, whose combination allows simultaneous delivery of functional and bioactive compounds in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, providing numerous benefits to the consumer. Jambolao, a fruit of the species Syzygium cumini, has high levels of phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins. In this context, the objective of this study was to coencapsulate Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NRRL B 4496 and the bioactive compounds extracted from jambolao fruit by complex coacervation. The methanolic extracts obtained from the dried fruits showed 22.42 ± 1.12 mg EAG/g of total phenolic compounds, 3.05 ± 0.02 mg M3G/g of total anthocyanins and antioxidant activity by scavenging the ABTS radical of 4.44 ± 0.01 mmol TE/g. The capsules were obtained by complex coacervation using gum arabic, soybean oil and soybean protein, and subsequently lyophilized. Four systems were developed, two with probiotic alone (ME-0%) and two containing probiotic and jambolan extract at concentrations of 1% (ME-1%) and 5% (ME-5%). The encapsulated systems containing jambolan extract showed higher probiotic encapsulation efficiency (74.84 ± 3.13% for ME-1% and 71.16 ± 1.90% for ME-5%) than those containing only probiotic (57.45 ± 1.40% for ME-0%). In addition, the anthocyanin encapsulation efficiency was 60.29 ± 3.08% for ME-1% and 60.84 ± 1.70% for ME-5%. The obtained microcapsules presented particle size ranging from 12.23 to 19.85 µm and Zeta potential between - 2.59 ± 0.98 and - 18.35 ± 3.12 mV. Based on the results, the coencapsulation of L. plantarum and jambolan fruit extract by complex coacervation, using encapsulating materials of plant origin, proved to be a viable strategy for obtaining a multifunctional and vegan probiotic input.