Alginate based encapsulation as a tool for the protection of bioactive compounds from aromatic herbs

The objective of this study was to evaluate the total phenolic compound content (TPC), antioxidant capacity by the •DPPH, ABTS•+ and FRAP methods in aqueous (AqE), hydroethanolic (HE), and ethanolic (EOH) extracts of six species of aromatic herbs, Basil (Ocimum basilicum), Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) and Chive (Allium fistulosum), with subsequent microencapsulation, using the dripping technique, only for the ones who had better TPC contents. The TPC values presented a variation between (142.81±7.06 mg GAE/g) for the HE of rosemary and (30.52±0.95 mg GAE/g) for the HE of chervil. In this study, the lowest antioxidant activity obtained by the •DPPH was for the EOH of parsley, and the highest antioxidant activity was for the HE of rosemary. The best results found by the ABTS•+ was for the HE of rosemary 40.44±0.19 (µmol of Trolox/g), and the lowest values ​​were for the AqE of basil 9.13±0.97 (µmol of Trolox/g), the results obtained in this assay, found higher ferric reducing power for AqE of rosemary 46.78±0.25 (µmol FeSO4/g) and lower value for EOH of chervil 8.99±0.13 (µmol FeSO4/g). The use of scanning electron microscopy revealed the presence of microparticles with the desired shape, sizes ranging from 920.08±11.63 to 754.28±16.62 µm, and encapsulation efficiency, from 68.24±0.15 to 93.39±0.01%. These results indicate that the application of microencapsulated plant extracts has potential for use in the food industry. They present good results for phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity levels, presenting a good microencapsulation efficiency.