Abstract

Grape pomace is a major by-product of winemaking and a rich source of phenolic compounds with antioxidant potential. The Carm & eacute;n & egrave;re variety, emblematic of Chilean viticulture, remains underutilized despite its high anthocyanin and flavanol content. This study aimed to develop a cost-effective method to recover and stabilize bioactive compounds from Carm & eacute;n & egrave;re grape pomace. Five extracts were obtained using ethanol-water mixtures (0-100%) and characterized by HPLC-DAD and antioxidant assays (DPPH, FRAP, ORAC-FL). The 80% ethanol extract (EET-80) showed the highest antioxidant capacity (FRAP: 2909.3 +/- 37.6; ORAC-FL: 1864.3 +/- 157.8 mu mol TE/g dw) and was selected for microencapsulation via spray drying using maltodextrin. This scalable technique protects thermosensitive compounds and enhances their applicability. The optimized 1:50 extract-to-carrier ratio achieved high encapsulation efficiency (85.7 +/- 0.7%). In Caco-2 cells, the microencapsulated extract (5-250 mu g/mL) showed no alteration in metabolic activity and significantly reduced intracellular ROS levels (65% inhibition at 250 mu g/mL). Solvent polarity selectively influenced polyphenol recovery-50% ethanol favored catechin (581.1 mu g/g) and epicatechin (1788.3 mu g/g), while 80% ethanol enhanced malvidin-3-O-glucoside (118.0 mu g/g). These findings support the valorization of Carm & eacute;n & egrave;re grape pomace as a sustainable source of antioxidants and highlight the role of microencapsulation in improving extract stability and functionality.