Determination of Critical Storage Conditions for Spray-Dried Habanero Pepper (<i>Capsicum chinense</i>) Extracts by Coupling Water Adsorption Isotherms and Glass Transition Temperature

Abstract

This study aimed to determine storage conditions for microparticles containing habanero pepper extracts with maltodextrin (MD) and a 95:5 w/w mixture with precipitated silica (MDSP) as wall materials. State diagrams (SD) using water adsorption isotherms and glass transition temperatures were created. Monolayer values were 6.17 g (MD) and 6.76 g (MDSP) of water/100 g d.s. Critical water activity values (awC) were 0.49 for MD and 0.41 for MDSP. When stored at aw > awC, both samples underwent physical transformations, with significant color changes (ΔE > 8). Conversely, storage below awC resulted in minimal changes (ΔE < 4), consistent with the SD.

Keywords

• microencapsulation
• physical stability
• critical water activity