Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: TAINÁ RODRIGUES DE OLIVEIRA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : TAINÁ RODRIGUES DE OLIVEIRA
DATE: 10/04/2026
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: VIDEOCONFERÊNCIA
TITLE:

Co-encapsulation of probiotics and cajá seed extract: Characterization, functional potential, and in silico and in vitro study of interactions with digestive enzymes

KEY WORDS:

probiotic, cajá seeds, microencapsulation.

PAGES: 111
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Farmácia
SUMMARY:

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits on the host. The association of probiotics with plant extracts rich in phenolic com pounds has been explored as a strategy for the development of functional ingredients with po tential application in foods. Cajá (Spondias mombin L.) is a tropical fruit whose processing generates large amounts of by-products, especially seeds, which can represent an important source of phenolic compounds. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the co-en capsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA14 and cajá seed extract, as well as to perform the characterization of the obtained microparticles, evaluate their functional potential, and investi gate in silico the interaction of the major phenolic compounds with enzymes involved in car bohydrate digestion. Characterization of the extract by high-performance liquid chromatogra phy identified gallic acid, rutin, and naringin as the major phenolic compounds. The interaction of these compounds with the enzymes α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and amyloglucosidase was evaluated in silico through Docking and Molecular Dynamics. For co-encapsulation, L. aci dophilus was cultivated in MRS broth, and the cell pellet (1%) was incorporated into formula tions containing gum arabic (5%) and maltodextrin (10%) as encapsulating agents. Formula tions containing different proportions of cajá seed extract were prepared: 10% (EC10), 50% (EC50), and 100% (EC100), in addition to a control formulation without extract (EC0). All formulations contained 1% L. acidophilus. Drying was performed in a spray dryer at 130 °C, with a feed flow rate of 5.4 mL/min. The obtained microparticles were characterized regarding their physicochemical characteristics, probiotic viability, and functional activities. The obtained powders showed low moisture (<6%), indicating the efficiency of the drying process. The total phenolic content of the extract was 0.20 ± 0.01 mg GAE/mL, while in the microparticles, a proportional increase in this content was observed with the extract concentration, reaching 1.57 ± 0.06 mg GAE/g in the EC100 formulation. Regarding probiotic encapsulation efficiency, the highest values were observed in the EC0 (100.6 ± 0.85%) and EC100 (96.42 ± 4.83%) formu lations. The antioxidant activity varied in the two analyses, in which EC100 and EC50 obtained the highest results. The in silico analysis demonstrated a good interaction between the major compounds of the CSE (cajá seed extract) and the digestive enzymes, which was proven in vitro.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externo à Instituição - CARLOS EDUARDO DE ARAÚJO PADILHA - UFRN
Presidente - 2378605 - CRISTIANE FERNANDES DE ASSIS
Interno - 1544647 - MATHEUS DE FREITAS FERNANDES PEDROSA