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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424993
Research Project: Adaptation of Grain Crops to Varying Environments Including Climates, Stressors, and Human Uses

Location: Plant Genetics Research

Title: Microencapsulation of phytochemical-rich colored corn cellulosic biomass extracts for natural red colorants with enhanced stability and antioxidant activities

Author
item SHEORAN, SUMIT SINGH - University Of Missouri
item WANG, DONGHAI - Kansas State University
item KUMAR, RAVINDER - University Of Missouri
item LI, QIANWEI - University Of Missouri
item WAN, CAIXIA - University Of Missouri
item BONGKOSH, VARDHANABHUTI - University Of Missouri
item Flint Garcia, Sherry
item SOMAVAT, PAVEL - University Of Missouri

Submitted to: Food and Bioprocess Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/7/2026
Publication Date: 4/16/2026
Citation: Sheoran, S., Wang, D., Kumar, R., Li, Q., Wan, C., Bongkosh, V., Flint Garcia, S.A., Somavat, P. 2026. Microencapsulation of phytochemical-rich colored corn cellulosic biomass extracts for natural red colorants with enhanced stability and antioxidant activities. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-026-04360-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-026-04360-8

Interpretive Summary: There is growing demand for natural alternatives to synthetic food colorants. Many parts of the corn plant contain high concentrations of red and purple pigments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for formulating shelf-stable, natural red colorants and other phytochemicals found in corn cobs (the remaining structure of the corn ear after the kernels are removed) and tassels (the topmost part of the plant that produces pollen). We extracted phytochemicals from cobs of twenty corn varieties and from tassels of seven corn varieties. We further quantified phytochemicals from five of the cob samples and the seven tassel samples and evaluated their antioxidant properties. We found that cobs had much higher phytochemical concentrations than tassels, and that the cobs had much higher phytochemical concentrations than previously reported phytochemical-rich fruits and vegetables. Cob samples contained 31 distinct secondary plant metabolites including 11 anthocyanins, 11 flavonoids and 9 phenolic acids. We demonstrated that colored corn cobs are an economical source of value-added bioactive compounds with potential applications including natural colorants and active food ingredients.

Technical Abstract: A comparative evaluation of cellulosic biomass from colored corn varieties including twenty cobs and seven tassels was performed to quantify their polyphenolic contents and corresponding antioxidant activity. Spectrophotometric analysis and antioxidant screening with four distinct protocols identified five polyphenol-rich cob varieties, whereas the quantified amounts in tassels were relatively lower. Variety V2458-1 contained the highest phytochemical content with total anthocyanin, condensed tannins, total phenolics, and total flavonoid concentrations of 61.22, 530.14, 111.56, and 35.90 mg per g of cob powder, respectively. HPLC and UHPLC-MS analyses were performed and 31 phytochemicals including 11 anthocyanins, 9 phenolic acids, and 11 flavonoids were identified. Ultrasonic-assisted microencapsulation with gum arabic (1%) as a coating material was used to formulate shelf-stable freeze-dried powders. Due to the higher concentrations of xylan, gum arabic was required as a coating material for producing free-flowing extracted powders. The developed powders were systematically analyzed for phytochemical retention, antioxidant capacity, and microstructural characteristics. Morphological analysis confirmed the formation of stable microcapsules, indicating effective encapsulation and protection of sensitive phytochemicals. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) revealed hydrogen-bond interactions between carrier materials and the extract, contributing to structural stability of the encapsulation matrix. The resulting powders had improved physicochemical stability, higher phytochemical content, and strong antioxidant potential, validating their application as natural red colorants and functional food ingredients in line with the circular bioeconomic paradigm.