Microencapsulation and Stability Analysis of Blueberry Anthocyanins

In order to improve the stability of blueberry anthocyanins, microencapsulation of blueberry anthocyanins was investigated by spray drying method and the stability of the native and microencapsulated anthocyanins was evaluated. The optimal microencapsulation parameters were as follows: β-cyclodextrin-whey protein-arabicgum with the quality ratio of 16:8:1 as wall material, the blueberry anthocyanins as core material, core-to-wall quality ratio of 1:2.5, the emulsion concentration was 250 g/L, rotary speed 2000 r/min, emulsification time 10 min, feed flow rate 350 mL/h, inlet air temperature 160 °C, outlet air temperature 80 °C. The encapsulation efficiency of 95% was obtained under the optimized conditions. The microcapsulated blueberry anthocyanins were dark-red powder with smooth spherical shape, and were more stable than the native anthocyanins when exposed to light and temperature.