Encapsulação da própolis verde em sistemas lipídicos microestruturados utilizando óleos de Macaúba

Abstract

Propolis has well-recognized health benefits, but its use is limited by an intense odor and flavor, as well as the degradation of its compounds, resulting in low bioavailability. Microencapsulation stands out as a promising strategy for protecting and controlling the release of bioactive substances, and the use of unconventional oils in lipid carriers represents an innovation in this area. Therefore, this study investigated the incorporation of macaúba pulp (OMP) and almond (OMA) oils into a stearic acid (AE) matrix to encapsulate green propolis extract, employing both spray chilling and fusion emulsification techniques. The resulting microparticles were characterized in terms of morphology, physicochemical and thermal properties, encapsulation efficiency (EE), antioxidant activity, and stability during storage, as well as an in vitro bioavailability assessment for the spray-chilled particles. Overall, all formulations showed EE above 60%, and no new chemical bonds were detected by FTIR, suggesting a physical interaction between the components. Although the addition of macaúba oils reduced the crystallinity of AE, it did not prevent crystal reorganization, leading to the expulsion of the extract to the surface and loss of activity over storage. Nevertheless, the spray- chilled particles retained more than 40% of the initial phenolics, whereas the ones obtained by fusion emulsification had a retention of around 20%. In vitro gastrointestinal simulation confirmed that microencapsulation increased the bioaccessibility of phenolics, with higher intestinal release observed in samples with 40% of macauba oil (almond and pulp) and 60% of stearic acid. In conclusion, both spray chilling and fusion emulsification proved to be promising methods for encapsulating green propolis extract; however, further studies are needed to explore process variables such as lipid, surfactant, and active concentrations, as well as new lipid mixtures to optimize encapsulation efficiency and the preservation of compounds over time.