Encapsulation of carotenoids extracted from Navel orange and Clementine Tangerine peel extract as a by-product.

Carotenoids are pro-vitamin A, natural pigments and strong antioxidants. Encapsulation technology protects carotenoids against degradation and increases stability in food products. In this work, the carotenoid extract from Navel Orange peel (NOP) and Clementine Tangerine peel (CTP) was used. The study was designed for encapsulation in microstructures by three concentrations of carotenoid (3, 7 and 9 %) using the same coating agent (maltodextrin with Arabic gum15% w/v).The evaluation of physicochemical carotenoid stability of the encapsulated carotenoid extract. The result showed that the total carotenoids after microencapsulation for NOP and CTP, 3 and 7% were significantly higher than 9%. The antioxidant activity of CTP is higher than NOP when measured by ABTS(center dot + )assays. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of microcapsules content of 7% carotenoid was the highest efficiency for NOP and CTP extract. The size of the micro-particles was determined by transmission electron microscope (TEM) which showed it less than 1 mu m after encapsulation, ensuring good solubility in an aqueous solution. Shape microcapsules had an irregular shape and were amorphous with porous and slab forming a structure that was similar to each other in morphology under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Assessment of beta-carotene content in NOP and CTP encapsulated extract by HPLC the beta-carotene of the CTP extract was twice the beta-carotene of the NOP extract. Also, the assessment of moisture and water activity for NOP and CTP encapsulated ranged between 4.59-6.07%, 0.26-0.32, 5.72-6.81% and0.303-0.32 respectively. The purpose of the study was to extract natural carotenoids from Navel Oranges and Clementine Tangerine Peels and to study their functional properties and their possible use as additives with certain foods. It can be used in foods as pro-vitamin A, nature pigment, and antioxidants.