Cell‐Based Encapsulation of Brazilian Red Propolis in Brewer’s Spent Yeast Using Spray Drying and Biosorption Followed by Spray Drying

Propolis is already widely incorporated into food and pharmaceutical formulations due to its rich content of bioactive compounds and significant antioxidant activity. However, the low compound stability and the intense flavor and aroma of propolis are the main limitations to its application, for which encapsulation may be an effective strategy. The main objective of this work was to promote the cell‐based encapsulation of propolis in brewer’s spent yeast using spray drying and biosorption followed by spray drying. The red propolis extract contained 10.3 mg of formononetin per g of extract, along with phenolic and flavonoid contents of 228.0 mg GAE/g of extract and 188 mg QE/g of extract, respectively. It also had a significant antioxidant activity for both FRAP and ABTS assays and showed effectiveness against Salmonella enteritidis and Pseudomonas . Powders produced with a lower amount of yeast (15%, w/w) had higher antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds content. Furthermore, in comparison to the suspensions subjected to biosorption followed by spray drying, those submitted only to spray drying had higher incorporation of compounds. The microparticles presented low values of water activity (0.25–0.28), moisture (4.22%–4.71%), and hygroscopicity (3.84–4.69 g/100 g), which guarantees their physical and microbiological stability. The powders showed a decrease in the antioxidant activity and in phenolic compounds and flavonoid contents after 60 days of storage. The obtention of a powdered and alcohol‐free propolis may facilitate its application, whether as a functional ingredient in food or pharmaceutical applications, or as an additive with antioxidant properties in cosmetics.