Antioxidant stability enhancement of carotenoid rich-extract from Cantaloupe melon (Cucumis melo L.) nanoencapsulated in gelatin under different storage conditions

•Carotenoids are unstable to conditions involving heat and the presence of light.•Nanoencapsulation using gelatin increased the carotenoid's antioxidant activity.•β-carotene in EPG was stable at 25 °C (dark) and 5 °C (light and dark) for 60 days.•Antioxidant activity of the carotenoids in EPG was preserved for 60 days. The study evaluated the potential and antioxidant stability of nanoencapsulated carotenoid-rich extract (CE) from Cantaloupe melon (EPG). DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging assays were used to investigate the nanoencapsulation effect on antioxidant potential. CE and EPG stability were evaluated at 25 °C and 5 °C, with and without light (1600 lx) for 60 days, determining the β-carotene concentration by UHPLC and antioxidant potential by ABTS. The antioxidant potential of carotenoids increased after nanoencapsulation (57–59%). After 60 days, there was low retention of β-carotene (0–43.6%) in the CE, mainly at 25 °C light (0.00%) and dark (10.0%), and total loss of activity in the four conditions. EPG preserved the β-carotene concentration in the dark at 25 °C (99.0%) and in the light (83.1%) and dark (99.0%) at 5 °C, maintaining the antioxidant potential (68.7–48.3%). Therefore, EPG enhanced and stabilized the antioxidant potential of carotenoids, beneficial to human health.