CHOCOLATE ENRICHED WITH MICROCAPSULES OF ORANGE ESSENTIAL OIL

Huamani M.S.; Trujillo N.A.; Paisig H.L.; Jordán O.B.; Neira E.F.; Tuesta T. · African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (2026) · DOI: 10.18697/ajfand.153.27190

Resumen

The development of functional foods enriched with bioactive compounds has gained increasing importance due to their potential health benefits and growing consumer demand for value-added products. Dark chocolate is considered an ideal food matrix for incorporating functional ingredients because of its natural antioxidant content and high consumer acceptance. However, essential oils are highly volatile and sensitive to environmental conditions, including heat, light, and oxygen, which can degrade their bioactive components during food processing and storage. Microencapsulation techniques, especially spray drying, have been widely used to protect these compounds and improve their stability. This study investigated the incorporation of spray-dried microcapsules containing orange essential oil into 70% cocoa chocolate and evaluated their effects on the functional and physicochemical properties of the resulting product. Microcapsules were prepared using maltodextrin as the wall material and Tween 80 as an emulsifying agent to enhance the retention of bioactive compounds and improve antioxidant potential. The resulting microcapsules were incorporated into chocolate formulations at different concentrations (w/w): 6%, 8% and 10 %. The developed samples were analyzed using an experimental design that included determination of total polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity (DPPH radical scavenging), sensory evaluation, color measurement, and water activity assessment. Results showed that chocolate fortified with orange essential oil microcapsules exhibited improved functional properties such as antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content compared with the control sample. The enriched chocolate presented a higher total polyphenol content (1.83 ± 0.04 mg GA/g) compared with the control formulation (1.56 ± 0.05 mg GA/g). Similarly, antioxidant capacity was significantly higher in the fortified chocolate (69.33 ± 0.13%) than in the control sample (64.08 ± 0.83%), showing statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). The incorporation of microcapsules did not negatively affect important physicochemical characteristics, as color parameters and water activity remained within acceptable stability ranges. Sensory evaluation indicated that the formulation containing 10% microcapsules achieved the highest level of panelist acceptance obtaining 5.47 ± 0.20 out of a 9 point hedonic scale. These results show that spray-drying microencapsulation is an effective method for incorporating orange essential oil into chocolate, enabling the development of functional chocolate with enhanced antioxidant properties, while maintaining acceptable physicochemical and sensory characteristics.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería; Universidad Le Cordon Bleu