J Food Process Preserv. 2019;e14065. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfpp | 1 of 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14065 © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 | INTRODUCTION Since the last decade, there has been a marked and growing interest in natural foods, specifically those from vegetable origin. This de‐ mand is due to advertisings and scientific investigations that have shown the benefits that these foods may contribute to health (Cid‐ Ortega & Guerrero‐Beltrán, 2015). “Functional foods” are those that contain significant levels of biologically active components, which might provide specific health benefits to humans beyond the tradi‐ tional nutrients they contain (Falk, 2004; Hasler, 2002). Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) can be cultivated in tropical regions around the world (Cid‐Ortega & Guerrero‐Beltrán, 2015). Several stud‐ ies presented evidence of health benefits offered by H. sabdariffa L., which are likely to be related to the strong antioxidant activity provided by phenolic acids, and anthocyanins (Cid‐Ortega & Guerrero‐Beltrán, 2015; Da‐Costa‐Rocha, Bonnlaender, Sievers, Pischel, & Heinrich, 2014). Received: 28 November 2018 | Revised: 3 May 2019 | Accepted: 30 May 2019 DOI: 10.1111/jfpp.14065 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Physical and functional properties of roselle ( Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) extract spray dried with maltodextrin‐gum arabic mixtures Diego Archaina 1,6 | Franco Vasile 2,6 | Jaime Jiménez‐Guzmán 3 | Liliana Alamilla‐Beltrán 3 | Carolina Schebor 4,5,6 1 Facultad de Bromatología, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, Entre Rios, Argentina 2 Lab. Industrias Alimentarias II, Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral, Chaco, Argentina 3 Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Ciudad de Mexico, México 4 Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Industrias, CABA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina 5 CONICET ‐ Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Tecnología de Alimentos y Procesos Químicos (ITAPROQ), Buenos Aires, Argentina 6 CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina Correspondence Carolina Schebor, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Industrias, CABA, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Email: cschebor@di.fcen.uba.ar Funding information Universidad de Buenos Aires, Grant/Award Number: 20020150100188BA; Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Grant/Award Number: IPN SIP 20181309; Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Grant/Award Number: PICT 2014/2250; CYTED Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo, Grant/Award Number: Thematic Network CYTED 4150495 Abstract Hibiscus sabdariffa L. calyces are a source of phenolic compounds which provide high antioxidant activity. The aim of this work was to improve the stability of roselle ex‐ tracts by spray‐drying using combinations of maltodextrin (MD) and gum arabic (GA) as carrier agents, preserving the antioxidant compounds. MD:GA matrices resulted in a very good option to produce roselle powders with excellent physical proper‐ ties: low moisture content (<1.7g H 2 O/100 g d.m.) and water activity (<0.26); high glass transition temperature (42–48°C), and very high solubility (>99%). The pow‐ ders showed low cohesiveness and a very good flowability. Higher GA in the ma‐ trix improved the retention of anthocyanins (171.21 ± 0.13 mg cyn‐3‐glu/100 g d.m.), polyphenols (465.80 ± 0.13 mg GAE/100 g d.m.) and the antioxidant capacity (95.5 ± 0.82 mmol Trolox/kg d.m.). These powders could be applied as an instant “agua de jamaica” product, giving an easy preparation method for the consumer. The antioxidant capacity of the reconstituted roselle powders was similar to those of mango and pineapple freshly squeezed juices, suggesting that this beverage could provide a relevant functional input. Practical applications Mexico is one of the largest consumers among Latin American countries of a re‐ freshing infusion called “agua de jamaica” made from Hibiscus sabdariffa. The main drawback of this beverage lies in its short shelf life. In this work, we showed that spray‐drying proved to be an adequate process for obtaining an alternative prod‐ uct that presents higher stability while retaining the functional characteristics of the original drink.