eng Enviro Research Publishers Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal 2347-467X 2322-0007 2025-07-10 13 Special Issue Phytonutrients July 2025 124 140 10.12944/CRNFSJ.13.Special-Issue-July.08 23478 article Ali Rosidi 1 Edy Soesanto 2 Enik Sulistyowati 3 Diode Yonata 4 Department of Nutrition, Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia Department of Nursing, Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia Departmen of Nutrition, Health Polytechnic of Semarang, Indonesia Department of Food Technology, Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang, Semarang, Indonesia Temulawak (Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.) is a native Indonesian plant rich in curcumin. The utilization of curcumin in the food and pharmaceutical industries is restrained mainly by its poor solubility in aqueous systems and its instability. Therefore, this study proposes applying microencapsulation technology to overcome these problems. This study focuses on a new approach for microencapsulating curcumin from temulawak extract using single and composite coating materials with spray drying. The results showed that the yield of microcapsules reached 65.34-72.71%, with a curcumin content of 284.93-404.67 mg/100g. Using composite coating materials significantly increased the microencapsulation efficiency, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity of microcapsules. All coating materials produced microcapsules with bright yellow color profiles, high solubility (89.52-97.23%), moisture content of around 2.13-3.71%, low a_w (0.31-0.33), and tended to be non-hygroscopic with microparticles with an average size of around 1.13-2.43 mm. The morphological structure of microcapsules prepared with composite coating materials was mainly round and oval, with a smooth surface, no cracks, and some wrinkles. In conclusion, using composite coating materials in the microencapsulation process of curcumin from temulawak extract generally refines the physicochemical properties of the resulting microcapsules. In particular, WPI-βCD coating material is recommended for producing curcumin microcapsules from temulawak extract. https://www.foodandnutritionjournal.org/vol13nospl-issue-phytonutrients-2025/a-new-approach-in-preparing-curcumin-microcapsules-from-temulawak-curcuma-xanthorrhiza-roxb-extract-as-a-source-of-natural-antioxidants-for-the-pharmaceutical-and-food-industries/ Curcumin Microencapsulation Physicochemical properties Spray dryer Temulawak