Microencapsulation of essential oils by complex coacervation method: preparation, thermal stability, release properties and applications

Abstract

The microencapsulation of essential oils by complex coacervation continues to attract considerable attention due to high payload, increased thermal stability and sustained release of core materials. This review recapitulates the thermal properties of coacervates and essential oil microcapsules prepared by complex coacervation method using protein/polysaccharide and polysaccharide/polysaccharide. The authors discussed the factors affecting coacervation and the thermal properties of coacervates. Besides, this review describes the microencapsulation processes physicochemical properties and release characteristics of essential oils microcapsules based on complex coacervation method. Finally, the review concentrates on the antimicrobial properties and the applications of essential oils microcapsules in food and nutrition. Despite extensive research conducted on the preparation of essential oils microcapsules prepared by complex coacervation, the application of this technique in encapsulating essential oils exposed to high temperatures during processing and storage remains a current area of research. Therefore, the research consolidated in this review describes a high degree of thermal stability of essential oils microcapsules prepared with complex coacervation that is yet understood, which can be readily utilized in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords:

• Biopolymers
• coacervates
• controlled-release
• essential oils
• heat stability

Author contributions

Bertrand Muhoza: Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing.

Xuejiao Wang: review & editing.

Yang Li: revision &editing.

Shuang Zhang: revision & editing.

Xiaoming Zhang: Supervision, Writing - review & editing.

Shuqin Xia: Supervision, Writing - review & editing, Project administration, funding acquisition

Additional information

Funding

This research was financially supported by projects of the National key R & D program (2017YFD0400105), National Natural Science Foundation of China (31471624), National First-class Discipline of Food Science and Technology (JUFSTR20180204), and program of “Collaborative innovation center of food safety and quality control in Jiangsu Province”.