Comparison of Alginate Mixtures as Wall Materials of Schizochytrium Oil Microcapsules Formed by Coaxial Electrospray

This work evaluated maltodextrin/alginate and & beta;-glucan/alginate mixtures in the food industry as wall materials for the microencapsulation of Schizochytrium sp. oil, an important source of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Results showed that both mixtures display a shear-thinning behavior, although the viscosity is higher in & beta;-glucan/alginate mixtures than in maltodextrin/alginate. Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the morphology of the microcapsules, which appeared more homogeneous for maltodextrin/alginate. In addition, oil-encapsulation efficiency was higher in maltodextrin/alginate mixtures (90%) than in & beta;-glucan/alginate mixtures (80%). Finally, evaluating the microcapsules' stability by FTIR when exposed to high temperature (80 & DEG;C) showed that maltodextrin/alginate microcapsules were not degraded contrary to the & beta;-glucan/alginate microcapsules. Thus, although high oil-encapsulation efficiency was obtained with both mixtures, the microcapsules' morphology and prolonged stability suggest that maltodextrin/alginate is a suitable wall material for microencapsulation of Schizochytrium sp. oil.

Automated summary

This study evaluated maltodextrin/alginate and β-glucan/alginate mixtures as wall materials for microencapsulation of Schizochytrium sp. oil, an important source of DHA. Both mixtures exhibited shear-thinning behavior, with higher viscosity in β-glucan/alginate. Maltodextrin/alginate showed more homogeneous morphology and higher oil-encapsulation efficiency (90%) compared to β-glucan/alginate (80%). Furthermore, maltodextrin/alginate microcapsules displayed prolonged stability, while β-glucan/alginate microcapsules degraded under high temperature. Therefore, maltodextrin/alginate is a suitable wall material for microencapsulation of Schizochytrium sp. oil, providing high oil-encapsulation efficiency and stable microcapsules.