University of Belgrade, Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy
Abstract
Amaranth microgreens represent a rich source of betalains and phenolic compounds,
which show a broad range of positive effects on human health. However, these
biocompounds are very sensitive and easily degraded, which often limits their application and
bioaccessibility. For the above reasons, natural extracts and juices are most often
encapsulated using different carriers, which protect and control the release of bioactive
compounds. The aim of this study was to encapsulate cold-pressed amaranth (Amaranthus
tricolor L.) microgreens juice using maltodextrin (AMD) and inulin (AIN) as carriers and to
investigate total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant
properties (ABTS•+ and FRAP) of obtained spray-dried powders. To the best of our
knowledge, this is the first report on the encapsulation of amaranth microgreens juice. Before
analysis, both powders were reconstituted in Milli-Q water (5% solutions) and analyzed using
well-known spectrophotometric methods. The results are expressed in mg equivalents (gallic
acid, quercetin, Trolox) per 100 g encapsulates. The obtained values for TPC and TFC for
AMD were 291.7 ± 3.0 mg GAE/100 g and 291.3 ± 2.5 mg QE/100 g, while values for AIN
were 356.9 ± 1.0 mg GAE/100 g and 289.6 ± 3.8 mg QE/100 g. The results of antioxidant
activity were as follows: 546.3 ± 12.6 mg TE/100 g (AMD) and 745.2 ± 3.1 mg TE/100 g
(AIN) for ABTS•+ and 713.3 ± 8.4 mg TE/100 g (AMD) and 905.1 ± 4.5 mg TE/100 g (AIN)
for FRAP. Finally, maltodextrin and inulin can be successfully used for the encapsulation of
bioactive compounds of amaranth microgreens. In addition, both powders show good
antioxidant properties and can be used in the food industry as potentially novel additives or
supplements
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