Stabilization of resveratrol through microencapsulation and incorporation into food products

There is an increasing prevalence of chronic disease and obesity in the United States. Bioactive compounds which have been shown to prevent and alleviate disease states can aid in decreasing this prevalence. The addition of these compounds to food products would help to deliver these health benefits to consumers. Challenges such as instability in environmental conditions and the digestive system, as well as negative sensory properties of the bioactive compounds limits the addition of these compounds to food products. Encapsulation is a processing technique that can help to overcome these challenges and increase the range of food products into which the compounds can be incorporated within. The long term goal of this research is to enhance stability and ease of consumption of bioactive compounds by way of utilizing microencapsulation, which will increase the consumption of these healthful ingredients. This research utilized resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red grapes and wine, as a model compound which encapsulation was applied in order to overcome the light instability and bitterness of the compound. Resveratrol was encapsulated within a protein matrix through spray drying. Encapsulated resveratrol within a sodium caseinate matrix had a higher UVA light and digestive stability (0.63 trans:cis resveratrol ratio and 84%) than unencapsulated resveratrol (0.49 trans:cis resveratrol ratio and 47%). In addition, the encapsulation of resveratrol decreased the detection of the compound in comparison to unencapsulated resveratrol. The resveratrol microcapsules were added to snack bars and gummies in order to show application of the stabilized resveratrol. A group of consumers was identified who’s overall liking for the food products were maintained with the addition of the encapsulated resveratrol. The encapsulation-system approach developed in this research can be extended to other bioactive compounds in order to increase stability and minimize negative sensory properties of the target compounds, while delivering the health benefits of the compounds. This research serves as a basis upon which additional research can tailor the encapsulation-system approach for the specific properties of the compound