Antioxidants are important compounds in the prevention of diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative diseases and premature aging, however they are very sensitive to the light, heat, oxygen and pH. In this study, caffeic acid (CAF), chlorogenic acid (CGA) and rosmarinic acid (RA), 3 natural antioxidants, were encapsulated by spray-drying using sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC) to overcome their limitations in industrial applications. Product yield values were around 40% and the encapsulation efficiency values were higher than 90%. Particles revealed a smooth spherical shape with mean diameter below 11 mu m (considering volume size distribution). Microparticles loaded with CAF, CGA and RA were fully released after 45 min, 2 h and 4 h, respectively. Antioxidant activity was not compromised, highlighting the potential of spray-dried Na-CMC microparticles as carriers of natural antioxidants. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.