MICROENCAPSULATED NUTRACEUTICAL PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT AND MEDICINAL VALUES OF MORINGA STENOPETALA LEAVES EXTRACT

Bioactive compounds are secondary metabolites of the plant, which are produced to increase their overall ability to survive and withstand the harsh environment and resists to diseases. Moringa stenopetala plant contains bioactive compounds, which have antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycemic and prevention of cancer. However, during food processing such as thermal processing, these bioactive compounds can to be destructed. Hence, encapsulation might be an alternative technology to maintain the functionality of the active compounds. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop microencapsulated nutraceutical product from M. stenopetala leaves extract. The microencapsulation was done using spray and freeze-drying encapsulation techniques. In addition, maltodextrin (MD) and mixtures of maltodextrin and high methoxyl pectin (MDHP) were used as coating materials. Then, the physical and functional properties, encapsulation efficiency, bioactive contents and antioxidant activities of the microencapsulates were measured. Moreover, the storage stability and in vitro digestibility of the microencapsulated product was determined