Bioactive dry extract production from Hymenaea courbaril L. bark via spouted bed drying

Abstract

The work aims to develop and optimize a powdered phytopharmaceutical product from the stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L. (jatobá) by the spouted bed drying. The study commenced with the extraction of bioactive compounds present in the plant raw material by dynamic maceration using ethanol/water 70% (v/v) at a temperature of 50°C for 60 min, for the ratio stem bark: solvent mass of 1:10 (w/w). The extract quality was assessed by quantifying chemical markers via spectrophotometry (total polyphenols and tannins) and through antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The extractive solution was concentrated, added with drying adjuvant, and submitted to spouted bed drying. Product quality was evaluated by moisture content (X_p), water activity (a_W), powder diameter, total polyphenols, and tannins content (P_T and T_T), and antioxidant activity, expressed as the extract concentration needed to reduce 50% of the DDPH radical (IC₅₀). Spouted bed drying performance was evaluated through the drying yield (R_EC), product accumulation (A_c), and thermal efficiency (η). The optimal processing conditions were: inlet gas temperature, T_gi: 150°C, the ratio of the mass feed flow rate of the concentrated extract to the evaporation capacity of the dryer, W_s/W_max: 45%, and the drying gas flow rate relative to minimum spouting, Q/Q_ms: 1.85. Under these conditions, it is predicted to obtain a dried extract with Xp = 4.9% w/w, P_T = 26.0% w/w, R_EC = 77.7% w/w, η = 44.3%, and A_c = 10% w/w, with adequate values of a_W, T_T, and high antioxidant activity.