To compare the encapsulation of annatto extract by external gelation (EG) and internal gelation (IG) and to maximize process yield (% Y), two central composite designs were proposed. Calcium chloride (CaCl₂) concentration (0.3–3.5%), alginate to gelling solution ratio (1:2–1:6); acetic acid (CH₃COOH) concentration (0.2–5.0%) and alginate to gelling solution ratio (1:2–1:6) were taken as independent variables for EG and IG respectively. Release studies were conducted under different conditions; morphology, particle size, the encapsulation efficiency (EE), and release mechanism were evaluated under optimized conditions. The optimized EG conditions were 0.3% CaCl₂and 1:1.2 alginate to gelling solution ratio, whereas a 0.3% CH₃COOH and 1:5 alginate to gelling solution ratio were optimized conditions for IG. When 20% extract was employed, the highest EE was achieved, and the largest release was obtained at a pH 6.5 buffer. The Peppas–Sahlin model presented the best fit to experimental data. Polyphenol release was driven by diffusion, whereas bixin showed anomalous release. These results are promising for application as modulated release agents in food matrices.

The consumption of antioxidants can prevent chronic non-communicable diseases and the exotic Colombian fruits, goldenberry (Physalis peruviana L.) and purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. Edulis Sims), are rich in bioactive compounds. The aim of this work was to characterize and optimize the antioxidant activity of these fruits blend. The fruits were classified according to their maturity stages, the freeze-dried extracts were physiochemically characterized, and polyphenols, carotenoids and antioxidant activity were quantified, and an experimental mixture design was applied to optimize the antioxidant activity of the bend. For the goldenberry the maturity stage 3 had higher iron-reducing capacity and higher content of polyphenols. Meanwhile, for the purple passion fruit, this maturity stage had higher antioxidant activity by all methodologies and a higher concentration of polyphenols; the ultrasound-assisted extraction showed statistical differences for polyphenols, ABTS and FRAP. Antioxidant activity showed significant differences (p < 0.05) between samples (TBARS (3.98 ± 0.14 and 7.03 ± 0.85 μM-MDA/g), ABTS (36.53 ± 2.66 and 29.4 ± 4.88 μMTrolox/g), DPPH (36.53 ± 2.66 and 23.90 ± 0.96μMTrolox/g), ORAC (23.02 ± 0.36 and 32.44 ± 0.94 μM Trolox/g) and total polyphenols (5, 29 ± 0.34 and 9.12 ± 0.37mgGA/g). Some of the carotenoids identified by HPLC-MS in both fruits were lutein, α and β-carotene, phytoene and lycopene. The optimum bend was goldenberry 0.83 and purple passion fruit 0.17.

Goldenberry and purple passion fruit contain bioactive compounds (BCs) that can prevent gastrointestinal cancers; hydrogel beads can protect and control their release in the gastrointestinal tract. This study aimed to develop an encapsulating material for fruit hydrogel beads (FHBs) to increase their bioaccessibility and to assess antiproliferative effects. A blend of goldenberry–purple passion fruit was encapsulated using ionic gelation and electrospraying. Through a mixture experimental design with sodium alginate (SA), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) and arabic gum (AG) as components, the following response variables were optimized: polyphenol bioaccessibility and encapsulation efficiency. Polyphenols and antioxidant activity were quantified before and after digestion. Antiproliferative effect was evaluated on Caco-2 colon cancer cells. Variations in formulation proportions had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on most responses. An SA-AG mixture in a 0.75:0.25 ratio maximized polyphenol bioaccessibility to 213.17 ± 19.57% and encapsulation efficiency to 89.46 ± 6.64%. Polyphenols and antioxidant activity were lower in FHBs than in the fruit blend (F). Both F and FHBs inhibited tumor cell proliferation by 17% and 25%, respectively. In conclusion, encapsulating BCs in hydrogel beads with SA-AG can enhance the effectiveness of polyphenols in food applications by improving their bioaccessibility and showing a more pronounced effect in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation.

Infectious diseases account for nine percent of annual human deaths, and the widespread emergence of antimicrobial resistances threatens to significantly increase this number in the coming decades. The prospect of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) derived from venomous animals presents an interesting alternative for developing novel active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Small, cationic and amphiphilic peptides were predicted from the venom gland transcriptome of Pamphobeteus verdolaga using a custom database of the arthropod’s AMPs. Ninety-four candidates were chemically synthesized and screened against ATCC^® strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Among them, one AMP, named PvAMP66, showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties with selectivity towards Gram-negative bacteria. It also exhibited activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as both an ATCC^® and a clinically isolated multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain of K. pneumoniae. The scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that PvAMP66 induced morphological changes of the MDR K. pneumoniae strain suggesting a potential “carpet model” mechanism of action. The isobologram analysis showed an additive interaction between PvAMP66 and gentamicin in inhibiting the growth of MDR K. pneumoniae, leading to a ten-fold reduction in gentamicin’s effective concentration. A cytotoxicity against erythrocytes or peripheral blood mononuclear cells was observed at concentrations three to thirteen-fold higher than those exhibited against the evaluated bacterial strains. This evidence suggests that PvAMP66 can serve as a template for the development of AMPs with enhanced activity and deserves further pre-clinical studies as an API in combination therapy.

Los compuestos polifenólicos (CP) presentes en frutas son reconocidos por su capacidad antioxidante y por contribuir a la prevención de enfermedades no transmisibles. Sin embargo, su efectividad depende de la bioaccesibilidad en el organismo. Una estrategia para mejorarla es la encapsulación mediante gelación iónica, técnica que, pese a sus ventajas, suele generar partículas de gran tamaño bajo condiciones convencionales. En este estudio se optimizó la gelación iónica asistida por electrospray para reducir el tamaño de partícula (TP) y favorecer la bioaccesibilidad de los CP a partir de una mezcla de uchuva y gulupa. Se empleó un diseño compuesto central con metodología de superficie de respuesta, evaluando los efectos de la tasa de flujo, la altura de la aguja y el voltaje sobre TP, esfericidad (E), relación de aspecto (RA) y rendimiento del proceso (RP). Los resultados indicaron que un mayor nivel de altura de la aguja redujo el TP, mientras que una menor tasa de flujo incrementó el RP. Las condiciones óptimas (flujo: 4,33 mL/min; altura: 11,59 cm; voltaje: 12,56 kV) permitieron obtener partículas de 929,51 ± 374,48 ?m, con mejoras en E y RA. La bioaccesibilidad de los CP se incrementó de 3,95 ± 0,88 % en la mezcla libre a 48,42 ± 3,22 % en su forma encapsulada, es decir, un aumento de 12 veces. Estos hallazgos confirman el potencial de esta técnica en aplicaciones alimentarias orientadas a la liberación de compuestos bioactivos.

Spray drying and gastrointestinal transit can cause substantial losses in probiotic viability, limiting effective delivery in food applications. This study developed a thermophysically guided framework for the rational design of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum microcapsules in three sequential stages. First, Kissinger kinetic analysis of eleven biopolymer candidates (E_a: 95.4–198.4 kJ/mol) combined with pH-dependent solubility profiling provided an empirical screening criterion for the preselection of coating materials; the activation energies are apparent values associated with a composite endothermic event and the glass transition temperature was not measured in this work. Second, a factorial design identified whey protein concentrate (WPC)–gum arabic as the most suitable wall system, yielding a post-drying survival of 97.76 ± 0.75% and showing a significant protein–polysaccharide interaction (p < 0.0001). Third, a D-optimal mixture design optimized a four-component thermoprotectant blend composed of trehalose (29.7%), glycerol (25.7%), fructooligosaccharides (19.8%), and inulin (24.8%). The fitted model explained 91.9% of the response variability (R² = 0.919), and the optimized blend limited viability loss during thermal exposure at 92 °C for 3–8 min, consistent with complementary protective effects involving vitrification and membrane stabilization. The optimized system yielded 2.4 × 10¹¹ CFU/g after spray drying, a water activity of 0.23, and a Carr Index of 18.5%. Under simulated gastrointestinal digestion (INFOGEST 2.0), thermoprotectant-loaded microcapsules retained 1.5 × 10⁷ CFU/mL of digesta after the gastric phase and delivered 1.2 × 10⁸ CFU/mL of digesta to the intestinal phase, four to five orders of magnitude above unprotected microcapsules (1.0 × 10³ CFU/mL of digesta). Overall, these results support a transferable formulation strategy that combines thermophysical screening with experimental design to develop probiotic ingredients with improved thermal stability for food applications.