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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Development of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) CCN-51 Microcapsules with Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties

by
Erick Nazareno García-Intriago
1,
Dimas Alberto Pincay-Pilay
2,
Mercedes Marcela Pincay-Pilay
3,
Carlos Augusto Morales-Paredes
4,
María Celina Santos-Fálconez
5,
Jorge Gabriel Palacios-Revelo
6,
Iris B. Pérez-Almeida
7,* and
Carlos Alfredo Cedeño-Palacios
8
1
Facultad de Posgrado, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Portoviejo 130104, Ecuador
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
3
Facultad de Ciencias Técnicas, Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí, Jipijapa 130301, Ecuador
4
Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales, Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo, Quevedo 120501, Ecuador
5
Facultad de Ciencias de la Industria y Producción, Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo, Quevedo 120501, Ecuador
6
Carrera de Biotecnología, Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Milagro 091050, Ecuador
7
Research Department, Ecotec University, Samborondón 092302, Ecuador
8
Departamento de Procesos Químicos, Alimentos y Biotecnología, Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Portoviejo 130105, Ecuador
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Chemistry 2026, 8(2), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemistry8020013
Submission received: 1 December 2025 / Revised: 19 January 2026 / Accepted: 20 January 2026 / Published: 26 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Chemistry of Natural Products and Biomolecules)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) is an important source of bioactive compounds with high antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial properties. However, these compounds are susceptible to degradation by light, oxygen, pH, and temperature, which limits their functionality. This study evaluated the microencapsulation of CCN-51 cocoa extracts by spray drying, using maltodextrin (MD) and gum arabic (GA) as encapsulating agents, with the aim of preserving their bioactive activity and promoting their application in food. Microcapsules formulated with 5%GA showed the highest encapsulation efficiency (77.5%) and the highest phenolic content (92.7 GAE/g), showing significant differences compared to formulations with MD (p < 0.0001). Antioxidant capacity, quantified using the ABTS method, reached 583.3 µmol TE/g for 5% GA, significantly exceeding that of microcapsules with 10%MD (230.9 µmol TE/g; p < 0.0001). In terms of antimicrobial activity, microcapsules containing 5%MD showed greater inhibition against Escherichia coli (22.1 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (12.3 mm), while those containing GA recorded halos of 10.1 mm and 12.1 mm. When applied to chicken muscle, treatments with 5%GA significantly reduced microbial growth for 72 h, demonstrating that the prepared microcapsules have high bioactivity, stability, and antimicrobial capacity in samples of meat products that are widely consumed and potentially susceptible to spoilage due to microbial growth.
Keywords: polyphenols; controlled release; encapsulating agents; bacteriostatic properties; food preservation polyphenols; controlled release; encapsulating agents; bacteriostatic properties; food preservation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

García-Intriago, E.N.; Pincay-Pilay, D.A.; Pincay-Pilay, M.M.; Morales-Paredes, C.A.; Santos-Fálconez, M.C.; Palacios-Revelo, J.G.; Pérez-Almeida, I.B.; Cedeño-Palacios, C.A. Development of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) CCN-51 Microcapsules with Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties. Chemistry 2026, 8, 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemistry8020013

AMA Style

García-Intriago EN, Pincay-Pilay DA, Pincay-Pilay MM, Morales-Paredes CA, Santos-Fálconez MC, Palacios-Revelo JG, Pérez-Almeida IB, Cedeño-Palacios CA. Development of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) CCN-51 Microcapsules with Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties. Chemistry. 2026; 8(2):13. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemistry8020013

Chicago/Turabian Style

García-Intriago, Erick Nazareno, Dimas Alberto Pincay-Pilay, Mercedes Marcela Pincay-Pilay, Carlos Augusto Morales-Paredes, María Celina Santos-Fálconez, Jorge Gabriel Palacios-Revelo, Iris B. Pérez-Almeida, and Carlos Alfredo Cedeño-Palacios. 2026. "Development of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) CCN-51 Microcapsules with Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties" Chemistry 8, no. 2: 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemistry8020013

APA Style

García-Intriago, E. N., Pincay-Pilay, D. A., Pincay-Pilay, M. M., Morales-Paredes, C. A., Santos-Fálconez, M. C., Palacios-Revelo, J. G., Pérez-Almeida, I. B., & Cedeño-Palacios, C. A. (2026). Development of Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) CCN-51 Microcapsules with Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties. Chemistry, 8(2), 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/chemistry8020013

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