Characterization and controlled release of pequi oil microcapsules for yogurt application

Authors: DE SLIVA, LUANA - Universidade Estadual Do Ceara; CASTELO, RACHEL - Universidade Estadual Do Ceara; MAGALHAES, HILTON - Embrapa; FURTADO, ROSELAYNE - Embrapa; Cheng, Huai; Biswas, Atanu; ALVES, CARLUCIO - Universidade Estadual Do Ceara

Submitted to: LWT - Food Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2022
Publication Date: 1/17/2022
Citation: Da Silva, L.C., Castelo, R.M., Magalhaes, H.C.R., Furtado, R.F., Cheng, H.N., Biswas, A., Alves, C.R. 2022. Characterization and controlled release of pequi oil microcapsules for yogurt application. LWT - Food Science and Technology. 157. Article 113105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113105.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113105

Interpretive Summary: Microencapsulation is a useful delivery system for a variety of commercial applications. The objective of microencapsulation is to completely coat the core material without affecting its structure and properties. For food applications, the wall materials must be food-grade and edible. The choice of a suitable wall material is very important, and new or improved core/wall combinations are always being sought. In this work, we have encapsulated pequi oil using the complex coacervation technique with two pairs of food-grade biopolymers. The analysis and characterization of these combinations have shown promising results. These microcapsules have been incorporated in yogurt formulations, and the optimal process conditions for their incorporation have also been determined. The materials and the methodologies used for this work may be adapted to other pertinent food systems in the future.

Technical Abstract: Pequi oil is valuable for food industries due to its high levels of unsaturated fatty acids and carotenoids. This work used the complex coacervation technique with cashew gum/chitosan and cashew gum/gelatin matrices in the encapsulation of pequi oil for the production of enriched yogurts. Both wall materials achieved good results in encapsulation efficiency (>80%), yield (>50%), and loading capacity (<50%). The FTIR demonstrated the presence of electrostatic interactions in the coacervates, thereby confirming the encapsulation, and TGA, DSC, and Rancimat data verified the microcapsule's stability. The acid release and temperature resistance results showed greater stability at pH’s close to the optimum condition of the coacervation process and at temperatures below 80 °C. Finally, the potential for its application in yogurts was realized, showing that the preparation procedure of yogurt influences the oil release rate and fatty acid profile and that the addition of microcapsules should be optimally done during the cooling step.