Ultrasound-assisted spray-dried yeast microcapsules for fruit bioactives

Overview

This technology utilizes sonoprocessing, an ultrasound-based technique, coupled with spray drying to encapsulate bioactive compounds extracted from fruit by-products—specifically acerola pomace—within Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) cells. By using yeast as a natural encapsulating wall material, this process protects sensitive phenolic compounds and anthocyanins from degradation, thereby enhancing their stability and antioxidant capacity. This approach offers a sustainable and innovative solution for the food and supplement industries to valorize industrial waste streams into high-value functional ingredients.

Technical specifications

The process features a sophisticated integration of acoustic energy and spray drying to achieve high-efficiency encapsulation. Key technical capabilities include:

• Optimized acoustic energy density up to 333.3 W/L to facilitate effective encapsulation.
• Use of alkaline extraction conditions (pH 11) to maximize the recovery of bioactive compounds.
• Controlled spray drying at an optimal inlet temperature of 170 °C.
• Proven performance with encapsulation efficiencies exceeding 63% and yields surpassing 126.7 mg/100 g.
• Increased antioxidant activity of the resulting yeast biocapsules, which correlates directly with the concentration of encapsulated phytoactives.

Technology readiness level

The technology is at TRL 4 (Lab validation). Research and validation have been conducted through experimental design studies, demonstrating successful production of bioactive-enriched yeast biocapsules in laboratory settings. Further pilot-scale validation is required to move toward industrial deployment.