Sea buckthorn leaf extract on the stability and antioxidant activity of microencapsulated sea buckthorn oil

Sea buckthorn oil (SBO) is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and various bioactive substances, and sea buckthorn leaf extract (SBLE) presents excellent antioxidant properties. In this study, SBO microcapsules containing SBLE were prepared by spray drying. Encapsulation and the addition of SBLE significantly improved the stability of SBO by measuring the oxidative induction time (OIT) and thermogravimetric analysis. The samples with 2% SBLE addition has the OIT value of 3.95 h, which was 2.8-fold of free oil. Encapsulation and SBLE addition both showed positive effects on keeping the oxidative stability under accelerated oxidation condition by comparing the color, peroxide vale, and MDA contents. In addition, SBLE significantly increased the antioxidant activity of encapsulated SBO. The effect of 2.0% SBLE was significantly better than 0.5% and 1.0%. Comparatively, SBLE was more effective than synthetic antioxidants BHA and BHT in increasing SBO stability and antioxidant properties. Overall, as a byproduct, SBLE has the potential as a natural additive to reduce the SBO degradation and play a synergistic role on human health.