Stability of Freeze-Dried Microparticles of Ora-Pro-Nóbis (Pereskia Aculeata Miller) and Tilapia Waste Oil
摘要
The incorporation of fish oil into food formulations is a challenge because these fatty acids are highly unsaturated and susceptible to oxidation. To overcome this problem, microparticles containing oil obtained from tilapia filleting waste (ORT) were developed using ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata Miller) mucilage (MOPN) and maltodextrin. The microparticles were produced by freeze-drying oil-in-water emulsions prepared with MOPN concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) and maltodextrin (11.5%, 11.0%, and 10.5%), with or without ultrasonic treatment. The ORT, emulsions and microparticles were characterized, and the stability of the microparticles was evaluated. ORT has a high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The emulsions exhibited non-Newtonian pseudoplastic fluid behavior. The microparticles had a water activity of 0.036 and a humidity of less than 2%. The different mucilage concentrations and the ultrasound treatment had no significant (p > 0.05) impact on the physicochemical properties of the dry powder. However, the highest apparent density (0.34 g/cm³), encapsulation efficiency (81.76%) and stability to accelerated oxidation (27.47 h) were observed in the samples with the highest MOPN concentration coupled with ultrasonic treatment, indicating greater resistance to oxidation. The results highlight the potential of ultrasound and MOPN to produce degradation-stable PUFAs-rich oil-enriched microparticles.