Antioxidant activity of microencapsulated capsicum annuum oily extract obtained by spray drying

There is great interest today in development of food additives obtained from vegetables and fruits, due to the presence of phytochemicals and the potential use of these substances as functional ingredients. Chiles are used in the manufacture of condiments and food formulations because of their pigmentation and flavor. In addition to its provitamin and antimicrobial properties (Acero-Ortega et al. 2005), Capsicum has shown antioxidant activity because of its content of polyphenolic compounds and carotenoids. Carotenoid consumption has been associated with a lower risk of developing chronic degenerative diseases (Matsufuji et al. 1998; Dutta et al. 2005). In some studies, certain carotenoids were identified in the fruits of dry chile (Capsicum annuum L. grosum Sendt), such as β-carotene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, capsanthin, capsorubin, and criptocapsina (Collera-Zúñiga et al. 2005). Carotenoids can be extracted from chile’s natural matrix in order to use their properties as phytochemicals; however, due to the unsaturated nature of chile’s molecular structure, once carotenoids are extracted, they can be modified by isomerization and subsequent oxidative degradation, resulting in the loss of antioxidant activity with formation of fractions carotenoids called apocarotenoids (Maoka et al. 2001).