## 4 Conclusions  
This study demonstrated the health-promoting and application potential of microcapsules obtained via ionotropic gelation with a core made of raw and purified blueberry fruit extract, where alginate (Alg), pectin (Pect), and whey protein isolate (WPI) were used as coating polymers. It was found that microcapsules with a core made of purified extract (PE) were characterized by better values of the assessed parameters than those with a raw extract (CE), and the mixture of Alg + Pect + WPI retains the antioxidant potential of phenolic compounds and their stability during storage to the greatest extent, while the mixture of Alg + WPI has a beneficial effect on cytotoxic properties towards colon cancer cells and the bioavailability index of phenolic compounds. Moreover, all of the assessed microcapsules were characterized by good biocompatibility towards normal colon epithelial cells, as well as the color and swelling index, which is consistent with previous reports. The obtained results can be used to direct future studies on increasing the bioavailability and bioavailability index, especially in the last part of the gastrointestinal tract, which would enable directing the cytotoxic properties of microcapsules to colon cancer cells. In this context, it is also important to expand the panel of the cytotoxic assessment of microcapsules against cancer cells both at the in vitro and in vivo level, including tracing the cell death pathway and the possible side effects of microcapsule administration. After these analyses, microcapsules could be used as a component of functional foods, convenience foods, nutraceuticalals, or dietary supplements. Overall, the microcapsules developed in this study represent a promising path to the development of natural chemopre agents that can play a major role in the prevention of colon cancer. Figure 4: Cytotoxic activity of microcapsules with purified extract (PE) against 4 colon cancer cell lines (Cao-2, Ht-29, Ls180, Dld-1). Abbreviations: E, Alg + PE microcapsules; F, Alg + Pect + PE microcapsules; G, Alg + WPI + PE microcapsules; H, Alg + Pect + WPI + PE microcapsules. Results are expressed as mean (n = 9) and SD. Significant differences (* < 0.05; ** < 0.01) were assessed using the t-student’s test. Supplementary Materials: The following supporting information can be downloaded at: [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/appl4177842/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/appl4177842/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/appl4177842/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/appl4177842/s1)), Table S1. Phenolic compound content (mg/g) in microcapsules after simulated in vitro digestion; Figure S1. Microscope images of microcapsules. Conceptualization, N.Z. ; methodology, N.Z., M.S. and I.T.K. ; software, N.Z. ; validation, N.Z., M.S. and I.T.K. ; formal analysis, N.Z. ; investigation, N.Z. ; resources, N.Z. ; data curation, N.Z. ; writing\(-\)original draft preparation, N.Z. ; writing\(-\)review and editing, N.Z. and A.P. ; visualization, N.Z. ; supervision, I.T.K. ; project administration, N.Z. and I.T.K. ; funding acquisition, N.Z. and I.T.K. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This research was financed under the Podkarpackie Center of Innovation project entitled \"Innovative chemopretive drink enriched with bioactive phytochemicals from berry fruits\", grant number N3_004, funding number 1/UR/1/DG/PCI/2022, funding amount PLN 219,254.00. Not applicable. The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors on request. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.