Processamento dos extratos da erva-mate : extração, purificação e encapsulamento

Abstract

Ilex paraguariensis is an important source of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and methylxanthines, which have health benefits such as minimizing the effect of neurological diseases and increasing focus and athletic performance, for methylxanthines; reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and treating type 1 diabetes, for polyphenols. In this context, the study aims to develop a methodology for purifying the compounds contained in the extract of yerba mate obtained by extraction with supercritical fluid and the compounds contained in the aqueous extract of decaffeinated yerba mate. This was followed by encapsulation of the extracted caffeine in gelatin and, finally, with the evaluation and modeling of the release of encapsulated caffeine in a medium that simulated gastric fluid. The characterization of the caffeine present in the extract before and after its purification was performed via high performance liquid chromatography and the antioxidant activity of the aqueous extracts obtained from decaffeinated yerba mate were determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhicrazil, Folin-Ciocalteu methods and high performance liquid chromatography. The capsules before release were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and thermogravimetric analysis, while the fluid in which the release occurred was analyzed by ultraviolet spectroscopy. Among the results obtained, we can highlight the concentration of caffeine in the purified extract, which presented a value of approximately 87% purity; caffeine capsules, obtained in spray dryer and nano spray dryer, with spherical morphology and particle size in the nanometric scale; and the release profile of the capsules whose behavior was modeled by the first-order release model.