Development of nutraceutical carriers for functional food applications

Purpose - Nutraceuticals which have nutritional and therapeutic properties cannot be consumed directly due to their off flavor hence, a carrier in the form of microcapsules may be a better option for their application in foods. The purpose of this paper is to describe the preparation of nutraceutical barriers as microcapsulels. Design/methodology/approach - Nutraceutical concentrates were isolated using methanol from sesame (Sesamum indicum), linseeds (Linum usitatissimum), black mustard (Brassica napus), yellow mustard (Brassica compestris) and niger seeds (Guizotai abyssinica) employing established protocol. These concentrates were further purified, enriching active ingredients using column chromatography to remove hydrocarbons, gums and other non-polar inactive materials. These purified concentrates were subjected for sesamol, tocopherol, polyphenol and beta-carotene estimations. Subsequently, they were converted into microcapsules using spray drying, inclusion complexation and liposomal entrapment techniques. Findings - The scanning electron microscope image of the spray-dried nutraceutical concentrates isolated from sesame seeds showed that microcapsules were spherical in shape with 5-25mm in diameter with mean particle size of 10mm with smooth outer surface and bee net like inner structure which yielded a uniform and smooth wall of microcapsules. Thickness of the wall was found to be 2-5mm. Sesamol, tocopherol, polyphenol and beta-carotene found to be ranging between 35,600 and 0; 14,520 and 890; 35,800 and 5,900 and 890 and 290 ppm. The encapsulation efficiency of spray drying, inclusion complexation and liposomal entrapment was 75.5, 54 and 58 percent, respectively, which considered to be good efficiency. The moisture content of the powders were found to be between 4 and 5 percent. The difference between the highest and the lowest moisture content at each relative humidity was about 0.5 percent. The percent nutraceutical concentrate adhering to the surface of granules during above encapsulation ranged between 1 and 5.5 percent. Originality/value - Much work has been done on the nutraceuticals but information is very scarce on nutraceutical carriers. To carry the nutraceuticals to the site of delivery in intact form, nutraceutical carriers are inevitable. This paper describes how to prepare nutraceutical carriers as microcapsules by using spray drying, complexation and liposome entrapment procedures to obtain stable granules which can be used in food applications.