Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea) flower is commonly used to treat various diseases and
has long been part of the science of phytomedicines. Ultrasonic assisted extraction
technique is a simple, cheap and efficient alternative to traditional extraction methods,
producing a much smaller particle size than conventional spray drier. This study was
aimed to evaluate the physicochemical and microbiological properties of
microencapsulated butterfly pea flower (MEBP) powder prepared using ultrasonic
spraying technique. The samples were microencapsulated with different amount of Gum
Arabic (GA) (0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10%). Surface morphology of the MEBP powder was
examined using SEM showed different molecular structures in different MEBP powder.
FTIR analysis identified phenolic hydroxyl group (1061.69 cm-1
and 3385.36 cm-1
), sulfite
group (1062.01 cm-1
, 1065.92 cm-1
, 1077.15 cm-1
, 1234.72 cm-1
and 1261.74 cm-1
) and
amide group (1635.99 cm-1
, 1636.74 cm-1
, 1654.14 cm-1
and 3417.2 cm-1
). 2,2-diphenyl-1
-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total phenolic content (TPC), total
flavonoid content (TFC) found to be ranging from 35.85±0.57 to 130.85±3.00 mg GAE/g
dried sample, 4.32±0.04 to 6.90±0.11 mg QE/g dried sample, respectively. It was found
that Bacillus cereus was sensitive to MEBP powder as the results showed a prominent
inhibition zone (5.67±0.6 mm to 11.67±2.3 mm). MEBP produced with GA 6% ultrasonic
spray drier was found to be effective in sustaining its antioxidative activities and the
microbial activities were found to be active. This result provided useful information data
on the best technique to use ultrasonic spray dryer to retain antioxidant compounds.