Mrs. Jayasinghe Arachchige Sachini Malshani Jayasinghe
Industrial Technology Institute, Malabe, Sri Lanka
Title: Evaluation of stability of microencapsulated anthocyanins extracted from Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) as a natural food colorant
T.T.D.U.S Gunasekara1 , K.D.M. Samindi1 , J.A.S.M. Jayasinghe1, P.A.B.P. Abeyrathne2 and P.N.R.J. Amunugoda1*
1Industrial Technology Institute, Malabe, Sri Lanka
2Department of Biological systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) contains a variety of natural pigments, including anthocyanins, flavonoids, and carotenoids, which possess potent antioxidant and health-promoting properties. Among them, Anthocyanins are potential food colorants owing to their color, low toxicity, and biological properties. However, their use as food colorants is limited due to instability under environmental conditions such as light, heat, pH variations, and oxidation. Microencapsulation is a promising technique which can effectively stabilized the anthocyanin degradation. This study focused on the microencapsulation of lotus anthocyanins via complex coacervation using biodegradable gelatin and gum Arabic as wall materials, followed by freeze-drying to obtain stable powdered microcapsules. The Nelumbo nucifera flower extract was prepared using ultrasonic bath extraction with ethanol: water 3:1 solvent system as it was exhibited highest anthocyanin content (104.67 mgL -1 ) in previous phase of this study. Gelatin (150 bloom) and gum arabic solutions were prepared separately and combined in different ratio in 1:1, 1:0.5, 1.5:1 respectively, before the anthocyanin extract was introduced as the core material. Coacervation or formation of droplets around anthocyanins was observed at different pH level (3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0). Formulated microcapsules were hardened through cooling and dried by freeze-drying to obtain a stable powdered product. The encapsulation efficiency of formulated microcapsules was evaluated using particle morphology via light microscope (x 100), and stability under different temperatures (4 o C, 25 o C, 40 o C), and pH levels (3.5, 6.5, 8.5) inside a Ready-To-Serve (RTS) beverage formulated with natural anthocyanin microcapsules. Functional stability was assessed by monitoring color retention in 3 months and 6 months, solubility, and antioxidant activity over time. Gelatin: Gum arabic (1:1) at pH 3.5 exhibited the highest encapsulation efficacy and stabilized at 25 o C and at pH 3.5 inside RTS over 6 months of storage when compared to anthocyanin without microencapsulation. The highest solubility was 50.5 mg/mL. Total Phenolic content, Total Flavonoids content and the antioxidant activity of encapsulated anthocyanin containing RTS was 1.85 mg GAEg-1 , 180.5 µg QAEg -1 and 65.43 µgml -1 respectively. Therefore, microencapsulation of anthocyanin from Nelumbo nucifera via ionic gelation has significantly improved the physical and chemical stability of anthocyanins which can be used as a natural colorant for food industry.
Key words: Microencapsulation, Anthocyanin, Food colorant, Antioxidants
Biography of the presenting author
Malshani Jayasinghe is a Molecular Biology and Biotechnology graduate with a strong interdisciplinary background spanning food science, product development, microbiology, and veterinary pharmaceutical research. With over four years of experience as a research scientist in food product development, Malshani Jayasinghe has worked extensively on natural bioactive compounds, functional ingredients, product stability studies, and process optimization. During this period, she contributed to the development of novel food products and applied scientific problem-solving, analytical testing, and quality assessment techniques to support commercialization and R&D decision-making.
Expanding into the corporate sector, Malshani Jayasinghe has spent the last two years working in veterinary pharmaceutical R&D and microbiology. This role involves developing and evaluating pharmaceutical formulations, conducting microbiological analyses, supporting assay development, and ensuring compliance with industry and regulatory standards. Experience in microbial culturing, antimicrobial testing, and analytical documentation has reinforced a deep understanding of laboratory research, product safety, and scientific validation.
Presenting author details
Full name: Jayasinghe Arachchige Sachini Malshani Jayasinghe
Contact number: +94712426257
Email: malshani2020@gmail.com
Session name/ number: Industrial Biotechnology/4
Category: Oral presentation