Encapsulation of cinnamaldehyde: an insight on delivery systems and food applications

Abstract

Cinnamaldehyde is an essential oil extracted from the leaves, bark, roots and flowers of cinnamon plants (genus Cinnamomum). Cinnamaldehyde has shown biological functions such as antioxidants, antimicrobials, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity and anti-cancer. However, poor solubility in water as well as molecular sensitivity to oxygen, light, and high temperature limit the direct application of cinnamaldehyde. Researchers are using different encapsulation techniques to maximize the potential biological functions of cinnamaldehyde. Different delivery systems such as liposomes, emulsions, biopolymer nanoparticles, complex coacervation, molecular inclusion, and spray drying have been developed for this purpose. The particle size and morphology, composition and physicochemical properties influence the performance of each delivery system. Consequently, the individual delivery system has its advantages and limitations for specific applications. Given the essential role of cinnamaldehyde in functional food and food preservation, appropriate approaches should be applied in the encapsulation and application of encapsulated cinnamaldehyde. This review systematically analyzes available encapsulation techniques for cinnamaldehyde in terms of their design, properties, advantages and limitations, and food application status. The information provided in this manuscript will assist in the development and widespread use of cinnamaldehyde-loaded particles in the food and beverage industries.

Keywords:

• Biological functions
• cinnamaldehyde
• delivery systems
• food application

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Bertrand Muhoza: Conceptualization, writing - review & editing Methodology, investigation, original draft.

Baokun Qi: review & editing

Jean Damascene Harindintwali: review & editing

Marwa Yagoub Farag Koko: review & editing

Shuang Zhang: Conceptualization, Supervision, Writing - review & editing.

Yang Li: Conceptualization, Supervision, Project administration, funding acquisition

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was financially supported by projects Excellent Youth Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province of China (Grant No. JC2018009) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (31601493).