Microencapsulation

Shaikh Saboor, Rohit Katiyar, Gaurav Singh, Er. Ashish Khare. Department of Food Technology, F.E.T.R.B.S. Engineering Technical Campus, Bichpuri, Agra

Microencapsulation is a process of surrounding or enveloping one substance with another substance on a very small scale, yielding capsules ranging from less than one micron to few millimeters. Microcapsules may be spherically shaped, with a continuous wall surrounding the core. These can also be asymmetrically and variably shaped. All three states of matter (solids, liquids, gases) may be microencapsulated. The sealed capsules release their contents at controlled rates under the influence of specific conditions and involve various release mechanism. There are various techniques for microencapsulation such as spray drying, centrifugal extrusion, fluidized bed technology, spinning disk, coacervation and interfacial polymerization which can be used according to the need and desired end product. This technology is mainly used for the purpose of protection, controlled release and compatibility of the core material. In a broad sense, microencapsulation can be used for many applications in food industry, including stabilizing the core material, controlling the oxidative reaction, providing sustained or controlled release (temporal and time controlled release), masking flavours, colours or odours, extending the shelf life and protecting components against nutritional loss.