## 4 Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Test**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Tomato Cereal Bars**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Pumpkin Biscuits**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & **Enriched** & **Control** & **\%Increase** & **Enriched** & **Control** & **\%Increase** \\ \hline Total phenolic content & 1.51 \(\pm\) 0.03 a & 1.20 \(\pm\) 0.01 b & 25.8 & 1.72 \(\pm\) 0.02 a & 1.67 \(\pm\) 0.03 a & 3.0 \\ DPPH & 3.67 \(\pm\) 0.04 a & 2.65 \(\pm\) 0.03 b & 38.5 & 3.37 \(\pm\) 0.02 a & 2.28 \(\pm\) 0.04 b & 47.8 \\ ABTS & 11.63 \(\pm\) 0.04 a & 9.68 \(\pm\) 0.02 b & 20.2 & 9.55 \(\pm\) 0.05 a & 8.70 \(\pm\) 0.03 b & 9.7 \\ FRAP & 17.59 \(\pm\) 0.05 a & 13.92 \(\pm\) 0.06 b & 26.4 & 9.81 \(\pm\) 0.06 a & 7.38 \(\pm\) 0.04 b & 32.9 \\ CUPRAC & 19.35 \(\pm\) 0.04 a & 13.79 \(\pm\) 0.02 b & 40.3 & 11.75 \(\pm\) 0.02 a & 11.32 \(\pm\) 0.03 a & 3.8 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 12: Results of enriched and control bakery products. increasing ethanol concentration negatively impacts TPC. Higher ethanol levels (70% \(v/v\)) consistently result in lower TPC values. Lower ethanol concentrations (30% \(v/v\)) are associated with higher TPC. Extraction time appears to have a less pronounced effect on TPC in pumpkin extract compared to ethanol concentration. While there is some variation, the impact is not as significant as that of ethanol concentration. The negative effect of higher ethanol concentrations on TPC in pumpkin extract may be due to the nature of the phenolic compounds in pumpkin, which might be more soluble in water. The predictive model was thoroughly evaluated and found to be adequately robust. The experimental setup led to optimized conditions that refer to the usage of a 54% (\(v/v\)) aqueous ethanol solution as solvent and an extraction duration of 46 min for tomato, and 31% (\(v/v\)) aqueous ethanol solution and an extraction duration of 30 min for pumpkin. These optimized conditions facilitated significant extractions of total phenolics, quantified as 9.47 \(\pm\) 0.08 and 4.52 \(\pm\) 0.05 mg GAE per gram from the dry tomato and pumpkin (_Cucurbita moschata_) extracts, respectively. The results demonstrate the successful isolation of phenolic compounds from Lemnian tomatoes and pumpkins through ultrasound-assisted extraction, utilizing eco-friendly solvents such as ethanol and water. These extracts, which are abundant in antioxidants, are particularly valuable for culinary uses, given the increasing preference for natural substitutes to synthetic antioxidants. The rate at which the total phenolics decreased was greater in the crude extract than in the encapsulated extract, highlighting the protective effect of encapsulation. Both extracts demonstrated substantial stability in antioxidant activities despite exposure to storage conditions and elevated temperatures. Nevertheless, during the accelerated stability testing, a minor reduction in total phenolic compounds was observed in the encapsulated extract, when compared to the crude extract, with the conditions maintained at 25 \({}^{\circ}\)C.  
Encapsulation successfully maintained the phenolic compounds within the extracts, indicating promising applications within the food industry. The growing demand for natural antioxidants justifies additional investigation into extracts that possess advantageous properties. This emphasizes the significance of employing such extracts to enhance the nutritional content of food products. The comparative analysis between enriched products and traditional controls has demonstrated a markedly beneficial effect from the incorporation of encapsulated extracts into conventional products. Specifically, this enhancement was evident in the significant increase in total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. These results highlight the substantial potential of using encapsulated extracts to augment the nutritional and functional qualities of traditional bakery items, thereby providing superior health advantages to consumers.