Page 72 - FoodFocusThailand No.223 October 2024

STRATEGIC R & D

1. Carbohydrate such as starch and its derivatives— 5. Emulsification is a crucial initial step for various
maltodextrin, cellulose, and cellulose derivatives—along with encapsulation techniques, including spray drying, electrospinning,
various gums like gum arabic, flaxseed gum, xanthan gum, electrospraying, and freeze drying. It typically involves mixing
alginate, and carrageenan. two immiscible liquids, where one liquid is broken down into
2. Protein from various sources such as soybean, wheat, spherical droplets and dispersed within the other. Emulsification
isolates from beans, casein, and whey protein. can be categorized into two main types: oil-in-water (O/W) and
3. Fat such as fatty acids, wax, and oils. water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions. An O/W emulsion occurs when
Encapsulation Techniques oil droplets are dispersed in a continuous water phase, while a
W/O emulsion is formed when water droplets are dispersed in
There are currently various encapsulation techniques a continuous oil phase. Additionally, more complex multiple
available, allowing manufacturers to select the most suitable emulsions exist, such as oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W/O) and water-
method to meet their specific objectives and product in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions, where one emulsion is
requirements. The most commonly used encapsulation encapsulated within another.
techniques include:
1. Fluidized bed coating: The fluidized bed coating
technique introduces air into the system, causing target
particles to be continuously suspended and move freely.
During this process, the coating material is sprayed onto the
particle surfaces, while the airflow helps distribute the material
and transfer heat more evenly. This ensures uniform drying
of the particle surfaces and minimizes the risk of particles
binding together. The process can be repeated multiple times Image source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/art-cyclodextrin-
until the desired capsule size and coating thickness are complex-formation-tamas-sohajda
achieved. 6. Cyclodextrins Inclusion Complexation: Cyclodextrins
2. Spray drying: Spray drying is a widely used are cyclic oligosaccharides that have gained significant attention
encapsulation technique in the food industry, particularly for in the food, pharmaceutical, and materials science industries
flavoring agents, and has a long history of application. In this due to their unique molecular structure and versatile properties.
method, the coating material is mixed with flavoring These characteristics make them ideal for forming molecular
substances and then atomized through spray drying. During complexes known as "cyclodextrin inclusion complexes," which
the process, mass and heat are exchanged between the solid play a key role in enhancing the stability, solubility, and
substances and the surrounding gas as moisture vaporizes bioavailability of encapsulated molecules.
from the solids. The gases used can be either regular air or Off-flavors pose a significant challenge in the manufacturing
inert gases like nitrogen. The result is a dry powder with process, directly impacting consumer satisfaction and decision-
particle sizes ranging from 10–50 microns to 2–3 millimeters. making. As a result, developing techniques or substances to
Key advantages of spray drying include its ease of control reduce or mask these unpleasant flavors is a critical task in food
and relatively low production costs compared to other production. Currently, the food industry employs a range of
encapsulation techniques. methods to address this issue. For example, chitosan is
3. Freeze drying: This technique works by converting combined with spray drying to encapsulate and mask off-flavors
pre-frozen substances into vapor through sublimation under in yogurt products. Additionally, encapsulation techniques are
vacuum conditions, completely drying the material. This used to minimize chemical reactions that generate off-flavors,
process preserves the quantity and properties of active such as emulsification, which reduces the unpleasant taste in
substances with minimal changes to their chemical and algae oil emulsions caused by oxidation. However, selecting an
biological characteristics, as the water content in the solid is appropriate encapsulation technique should also consider
directly transformed into vapor without thawing. Sublimation factors like production costs and scalability for industrial
effectively reduces potential alterations in chemical and applications.
biological properties while removing moisture from the
system's vacuum environment. However, freeze drying
typically incurs higher production costs compared to other
encapsulation methods. More Information Service Info C010
4. Coacervation: This method is a widely used micro-
encapsulation technique that relies on colloidal interactions. เอกสารอ้างอิง / References
The process involves three immiscible phases: a continuous Kaushik, P., Verma, R., Mittal, V., Bhatia, S., Pratap-Singh, A. and Kaushik,
phase, a core material, and a coating material phase. Surface D., 2022. Flavor microencapsulation for taste masking in Medicated
coating occurs when two oppositely charged hydrophilic Chewing gums—recent trends, challenges, and future perspectives.
colloids combine and neutralize each other, forming a Coatings, 12(11), p.1656.
protective layer around the core material. This encapsulation Premjit, Y., Pandhi, S., Kumar, A., Rai, D.C., Duary, R.K. and Mahato,
D.K., 2022. Current trends in flavor encapsulation: A comprehensive
produces the desired particles. review of emerging encapsulation techniques, flavour release, and \
mathematical modelling. Food research international, 151, p.110879.
Szente, L., Sohajda, T. and Fenyvesi, É., 2021. Encapsulation for mask
ing off-flavor and off-tasting in food production. Functionality of cyclo
dextrins in encapsulation for food applications, pp.223-253.
Timilsena, Y.P., Haque, M.A. and Adhikari, B., 2020. Encapsulation in
the food industry: A brief historical overview to recent developments.
Food and Nutrition Sciences, 11(6), pp.481-508.
Image source: https://www.eufic.org/en/whats-in-food/article/ Wang, X., Fan, C., Wang, X., Feng, T., Xia, S. and Yu, J., 2024. Formation
what-are-emulsifiers-and-what-are-common-examples-used-in-food mechanism of off-flavor and the inhibition regulatory strategies in the
algal oil-loaded emulsions-a review. Critical Reviews in Food Science
72 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND OCT 2024 and Nutrition, pp.1-18.

20/9/2567 BE 17:42
68-72_Strategic R&D_������ CMU.indd 72 20/9/2567 BE 17:42
68-72_Strategic R&D_������ CMU.indd 72