## 1 Introduction  
The sea buckthorn (_Elaenens rhammoides_ ([PERSON]) berry is known as an important source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial bioactive molecules (BAM) with numerous health benefits. The most valuable sea buckthorn product is the berry oil (SBO), with intense color due to its high content of carotenoids such as zeaxanthin and \(\beta\)-carotene [1]. The oil has a unique richness in saturated (palmitic acid and stearic acid), and polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (\(\alpha\)-linolenic acid, \(\chi\)-linolenic acid, linoleic acid, palmitoleic acid, and oleic acid), which contribute to its nutritional profile and provide a variety of health-promoting properties. SBO also contains significant amounts of tocopherols, especially \(\alpha\)-tocopherol, the main vitamin E compound, which has a strong antioxidant effect and is, therefore, important for the oxidative stability of the oil [2]. The presence of omega fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins in oils can improve the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of carotenoids [3], which is particularly important for the bioavailability of \(\beta\)-carotene, the most potent precursor of vitamin A, which is a necessary nutrient for the eyes, immune system, reproduction, cell differentiation, and embryonic development [4]. However, in the food industry, the use of the oil is limited because of the instability of these lipophilic BAM during the various stages of food production and storage, as well as their low bioavailability, poor water solubility, rapid release and chemical instability, and high susceptibility to oxidation under various environmental conditions (oxygen, acids, metal ions, light, and high temperatures) [5]. Therefore, in order to utilize their nutritional and pharmaceutical benefits, it is important to preserve these valuable compounds. In this sense, encapsulation technology has been used to protect pigments and other valuable molecules and to produce lipophilic powders with suitable properties for food applications and development of functional foods. Encapsulation is based on the coating of the core material or active molecule with a carrier or dispersion in a polymer matrix, creating solid or liquid particles capable of protecting the encapsulated material by forming a physical barrier against the external environment. It is, therefore, a useful method for improving the distribution of BAM in food and its delivery to the gastrointestinal tract. Except the protection and controlled release of lipophilic BAM, encapsulation can also provide other benefits, such as masking undesirable odors and bitter tastes of certain oils, improved water dispersibility of fat-soluble compounds, and easier handling and storage of powders [6; 7]. A cost-effective, simple, flexible, and widely used encapsulation technique in food and pharmaceutical industries to preserve heat-sensitive molecules is spray drying (SD) [8; 9]. In SD, an emulsion containing BAM is atomized in hot air, allowing the solvent to be quickly removed to obtain powdered products [10]. SD can protect oil droplets in an emulsion from lipid oxidation, especially oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids which have a high tendency to demonstrate oxidative deterioration and the formation of undesirable flavors [11]. However, despite rapid SD (a few seconds), high drying temperatures (150 to 250 \({}^{\circ}\)C) are used, and excessively high inlet temperatures can lead to heat degradation, alter heat-sensitive products, and cause defects on the membrane surface of the dried product, which increase the loss of BAM during SD [12; 13] and, consequently, affect the color of spray-dried products [14]. The proper selection of the type and concentration of carrier with good protective effect reduces the influence of SD on the retention of BAM [15] and affects the properties of the spray-dried powders produced [16].