Moringa oleifera: Its Encapsulation and Potential Application as a Natural Preservative in Ketchup

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is widely cultivated in many parts of the world for its nutritional and medicinal benefits, gaining an important place in the global market as a powerful food supplement. Another product in demand in the global market is ketchup, consumed with pleasure by all age groups. Various synthetic preservatives such as antioxidants and antimicrobials are added to ensure that ketchup can stay on the shelves for a long time and reach the consumer without spoiling. However, due to the potential harmful effects of synthetic preservatives, there is a growing tendency to use natural alternatives. In this study, the Moringa plant, considered a pharmaceutical plant, were used as natural preservatives in the production of ketchup in four different forms: powder, extract, and their starch-encapsulated counterparts. Phenolic content and radical scavenging activity were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the powders in ketchup production. Encapsulated Moringa extract powder exhibited the highest phenolic content (53.74 mg GAE g⁻¹ powder) and antioxidant activity (72.49% ABTS). Some physicochemical and color properties of ketchup samples were examined and the results were found to be compatible with the values reported for ketchups in the literature. In addition, microbiological analysis of Moringa-enriched ketchup samples revealed that Moringa significantly inhibited the growth of total yeast and mold compared to the control. In conclusion, the use of encapsulated Moringa extract as a natural preservative in ketchup highlights the product as a functional food. This finding was further supported by sensory analysis, which revealed that ketchup enriched with encapsulated Moringa extract was the most preferred sample.