Anthocyanin Encapsulation as a Potential Approach for Improving the Quality of Aronia Powder

Aronia fruit dust, generated in the industrial environment during processing, is considered a by-product discharged as waste, but it still contains high amounts of bioactive compounds such as polyphenolics, particularly anthocyanins. For the efficient isolation of anthocyanins and other flavonoids from this type of material, ultrasound-assisted extraction, at previously established optimal conditions, with a temperature of 70 °C, extraction time of 80 min, and ultrasonic power of 206 W, was applied. The extraction solvent was acidified with organic acids (citric, malic, and ascorbic acids) at low concentrations (4% and 8%) prior to spray drying to investigate the effects of the liquid feed pH value on the quality of the obtained aronia powders. Three anthocyanins—cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, cyanidin-3-O-arabinoside, and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside—along with the flavonoids rutin, hyperoside, and isoquercitrin were identified. The use of malic and citric acids in combination with maltodextrin produced aronia powders with a higher bulk density, smaller particle size, and more uniform particle size distribution compared to formulations containing ascorbic acid.