Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Natural food colorants are on demand due to food safety concerns related with some synthetic counterparts.
Health-friendly alternatives can be available from plant sources, which include curcumin extracted
from Curcuma longa L. However, its industrial use is difficult to achieve due to the low water affinity, pH
and thermal instability, which is particularly challenging, e.g. for baked foods. In this work, the solid dispersion
technique followed by spray-drying, an emergent approach in the context of colorants, was
applied to curcumin using k-carrageenan, poly(vinyl alcohol) and polyvinylpyrrolidone, as the encapsulant
materials. An orthogonal central composite design with dummy-variables was applied, and principal
component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) carried out to identify the experimental
conditions leading to the most effective formulations. In general, particles with a wide range of pH and
heat stability have been produced depending on the chosen encapsulant material, used formulation (curcumin,
surfactant and polymer contents), and synthesis conditions (pH). Moreover, the used mathematical
approach showed to be a valuable tool to support the development of tailor-made formulations
directed to specific applications where pH and temperature are relevant processing parameters.
Description
Keywords
Chemometrics Curcuma longa Natural food colorants pH stability Solid dispersions Temperature stability
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Leimann, V. F.; Gonçalves, O. H.; Sorita, G. D.; Rezende, S.; Bona, E.; Fernandes, I. P.M.; Ferreira, I. C.F.R.; Barreiro, M. F. (2019). Heat and pH stable curcumin-based hydrophylic colorants obtained by the solid dispersion technology assisted by spray-drying. Chemical Engineering Science. ISSN 0009-2509. 205, p. 248-258