Due to the rich source of biologically active molecules (BAM), extracts from algae and plants are an excellent potential for the production of functional foods with added value. Despite the fact that today there are many researches on different plant species, their application in the production of functional products is not sufficient. Studies have shown that the brown alga Halopteris scoparia is a source of various BAM’s such as amino acids, polysaccharides, vitamins, sterols, minerals, dietary fibers, fatty acids and pigments (El-Din & Alagawany, 2019., Mišurcová et al., 2014), which have enormous functional and nutraceutical potential, while on the other hand, the analysis of mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus L.) leaves, stems, fruits and roots revealed significantly higher concentration of the main groups of secondary metabolites (flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins), indicating that the plant has great biological potential (Dragovic et al., 2020). Due to the different composition of BAM, these two remarkable natural sources show a greater synergistic effect in the production of functional products by mixing the extracts. Given the particular sensitivity to degradation of BAM by temperature, pH, enzymes, and oxygen, encapsulation has proven to be an effective way to protect these compounds, especially in the production of functional foods. Therefore, the aim of this work was to optimize the spray-drying conditions of mixed extracts from the algae H. scoparia and P. lentiscus using two different carriers (maltodextrin DE 13-17 and gum arabica) on the phenolic and pigment content and physical properties of the obtained powder at spray-drying temperature of 120, 150 and 180 °C and wall-to-core ratio of 1:20.
The powders prepared with MD had lower product yield but better other physical properties and retention of BAC. The obtained results showed a strong synergistic effect of phenols from Mediterranean plants and algal pigments and their encapsulation by spray drying, which can be an excellent basis for further research and production of new value-added functional foods.