Influence of rye bran heteropolysaccharides on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of honeydew honey microcapsules

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of using rye bran derived heteropolysaccharides (HPS) for the encapsulation of honeydew honey. For the first time, microencapsulated honey was prepared using the water extractable arabinoxylan (WEAX) fraction of HPS as a carrier. The honey was encapsulated by spray drying WEAX at an inlet/outlet temperature of 110/65 °C. The honey-loaded WEAX microcapsules had spherical and homogeneous surfaces. The encapsulation process required significantly less of the carrier than is usually necessary, and significantly improved the bioactive potential of the capsules compared to honey. Microcapsules were prepared with 33, 23, 20 or as little as 17% of the WEAX carrier. These amounts of carrier allowed the honey to be dried efficiently. Encapsulation enhanced the antioxidant activity of the honey by 52, 55 and 471%, according to DPPH, ABTS+ and FRAP, respectively. The polyphenol profile of the honey microparticles showed that the content of total polyphenols was almost twice as high as in the honey and the content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural was two times lower.