Inulin as prebiotic encapsulating agent for the production of spray-dried L. tea microcapsules.

Due to the high content of phenolics and anthocyanins of L. tea and the sensibility of these bioactive compounds, this work aimed to optimize the obtention of microcapsules by spray-drying, using inulin as a carrier agent. Using a Box-Behnken Design, the effects of inlet temperature (130, 150, and 170 °C), feed flow rate (5, 10, and 15 mL min), and inulin concentration (5, 10, and 15 g L) were evaluated. It was possible to obtain pale-rose, slightly sweet instant powders with good total polyphenol content (1.12 mg g) and anthocyanins encapsulation efficiency (32.3-60.6%), besides moisture (4.61-17.79%) and water activity (0.221-0.501), indicating physico-chemical and microbiological stability of the microcapsules. A simultaneous optimization with the desirability function was performed to maximize all the response variables analyzed, and the optimum conditions of 5 g L of inulin, inlet temperature of 170 °C, and feed flow rate of 83 mL min were found.