Supercritical impregnation of polyphenols from passion fruit residue in corn starch aerogels: Effect of operational parameters

Supercritical impregnation (SFI) can carry polar compounds, such as polyphenols, in corn starch aerogels, forming new delivery systems with wide application in the food industry. This study investigated the effect of SFI pressure (22.5, 30.0, and 37.5 MPa) and temperature (45, 55, and 65 degrees C) on the loading of corn starch aerogels with polyphenols from passion fruit bagasse. SFI was performed in static mode with a fixed depressurization rate of 1.3 MPa/min. The best SFI condition for total phenolics and antioxidant capacity was 65 degrees C/37.5 MPa. The SFI efficiency was also observed from the decrease in the aerogel surface area (from 63.621 to 51.662 m2/g), volume (from 0.285 to 0.129 cm3/g) and particle diameter (from 8.976 to 4.788 nm). These findings may foster the use of SFI in the development of polyphenol delivery systems for nutraceuticals and food products.