Study on microencapsulation of curcumin pigments by spray drying

Curcumin has strong coloring power, safety and innocuity, comprehensive pharmacological function, but its low stability and water insoluble limit its application. Curcumin microcapsules were prepared by spray-drying process using porous starch and gelatin as wall material here. Results showed optimal condition as follows: the ratio of core and wall material of 1/30, embedding temperature of 70 A degrees C, embedding time 2 h, inlet gas temperature of 190 A degrees C, feed flow rate 70 mL/min and drying air flow 70 m(3)/h, at which the microencapsules had good encapsulation efficiency. The stability of microencapsulation curcumin against light, heat, pH was effectively improved and its solubility was increased greatly. This study would be helpful to the industrial application of curcumin.