{"id":5139,"date":"2016-09-08T11:18:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T17:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=5139"},"modified":"2017-03-15T12:34:14","modified_gmt":"2017-03-15T18:34:14","slug":"fb-using-microencapsulation-add-oil-soluable-functional-ingredients-beverages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/5139\/fb-using-microencapsulation-add-oil-soluable-functional-ingredients-beverages\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Microencapsulation to Add Oil-Soluble Functional Ingredients to Beverages"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"micro2\"Consumers are seeking healthy food alternatives with functional benefits.1<\/sup> \u00a0Beverages can be an excellent carrier for functional ingredients.<\/p>\n

The challenge is to disperse nonpolar, oil-soluble ingredients in the polar water containing the beverage matrix. The conventional process to disperse oil in beverages is using gums like guar<\/a>, carob bean gum<\/a> or gum arabic<\/a>. Mechanical forces applying high-shear mixing and homogenization form the dispersion. Fat droplets of diameters of around 1\u00b5m can be generated. Such dispersions are called beverage emulsions and are used to apply oil-soluble flavors, such as citrus oils, and colorants, such as carotene<\/a>, into beverages.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

Beverage emulsions can only have a low oil load. They do not allow for protecting functional ingredients against oxidation.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

Several master theses from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences\u2019s Food, Nutrition and Hospitality Sciences (Oecotrophologie)<\/a> evaluated the possibilities for microencapsulation.3, 4<\/sup><\/p>\n

Docosahexaenoic acid<\/a> is an important functional ingredient for eye health and brain metabolism.5<\/sup> Due to its unsaturated chemical structure, this ingredient is very susceptible to oxidation. The oxidation products give off a fishy taste and smell (off-flavor) not acceptable to consumers.<\/p>\n

Microencapsulation can help to protect oil-soluble functional ingredients against oxidation. Among the materials tested for coating, alginate<\/a> gives the best results. For encapsulation, co-extrusion and vibration, a B\u00fcchi Labortechnik Encapsulator B-390<\/a> was used.<\/p>\n

Capsules containing docosahexaenoic acid were tested for stability in orange juice during pasteurization and storage. (Orange juice is one of European customers\u2019 \u00a0favorite juices.)<\/p>\n

For this application, it is important to have an intense hardening of the capsules in a calcium chloride<\/a> solution. Washing the capsules was also important to obtain a good oil stability. The sensory properties of orange juice with capsules was tested by ranking and triangular tests. The mechanical stability was evaluated by a tensiometer.<\/p>\n

The tests prooved the capsules are suitable to reach the requirements for a docosahexaenoic acid health claim when 2.5g capsules per 100ml were applied to orange juice.<\/p>\n

\"micro1\"<\/p>\n

The encapsulation system used in this study might also be suitable for other oil-soluble materials such as carotenoids<\/a>, tocopherol<\/a>, vitamin D<\/a>, and other oils.<\/p>\n

Additional microencapsulation learnings:<\/b><\/p>\n

The capsules are also applicable in viscous fruit beverages like smoothies.<\/p>\n

Flavoring materials like citrus oils have also successfully been encapsulated.<\/p>\n

In clear beverages, the capsules show an attractive optical effect. The density of the capsules can be modified with regard to floating and sinking.<\/p>\n

Some of the capsules are stable in an alcoholic environment. This would allow application in cocktails and liquors.<\/p>\n