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Microencapsulation of Essential Oil from Fruits

of Pterodon emarginatus Using Gum Arabic and
Maltodextrin as Wall Materials: Composition and
Stability
a a b a
Suzana F. Alves , Leonardo L. Borges , Tatiane O. dos Santos , José R. de Paula ,
a a
Edemilson C. Conceição & Maria T. F. Bara
a
Laboratório de Pesquisa de Produtos Naturais, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade
Federal de Goiás , Goiânia , GO , Brazil
b
Laboratório Multiusuário de Microscopia de Alta Resolução, Instituto de Física,
Universidade Federal de Goiás , Goiânia , GO , Brazil
Published online: 07 Dec 2013.

To cite this article: Suzana F. Alves , Leonardo L. Borges , Tatiane O. dos Santos , José R. de Paula , Edemilson C. Conceição
& Maria T. F. Bara (2014) Microencapsulation of Essential Oil from Fruits of Pterodon emarginatus Using Gum Arabic and
Maltodextrin as Wall Materials: Composition and Stability, Drying Technology: An International Journal, 32:1, 96-105, DOI:
10.1080/07373937.2013.816315

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 Drying Technology, 32: 96–105, 2014
Copyright # 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0737-3937 print=1532-2300 online
DOI: 10.1080/07373937.2013.816315
Microencapsulation of Essential Oil from Fruits of Pterodon
emarginatus Using Gum Arabic and Maltodextrin as Wall
Materials: Composition and Stability
Suzana F. Alves,1 Leonardo L. Borges,1 Tatiane O. dos Santos,2 José R. de Paula,1
Edemilson C. Conceição,1 and Maria T. F. Bara1
1
Laboratório de Pesquisa de Produtos Naturais, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de
Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
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2
Laboratório Multiusuário de Microscopia de Alta Resolução, Instituto de Fı́sica, Universidade
Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
The present investigation reports the microencapsulation of the
essential oil from the fruits of Pterodon emarginatus by spray dry-
ing using gum arabic and maltodextrin. X-ray diffraction studies
established that the essential oil was entrapped within the microcap-
sules rather than being adsorbed onto the surface. The morphology
of the microcapsules was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy
(SEM). The particle size (Sauter [3,2]) and particle size distribution
of microcapsules were also determined. The microcapsules were
evaluated for the content and stability of both volatiles and the
major component, b-caryophyllene, for 45 days. A 1:3:3.6 blend
of essential oil: gum arabic: maltodextrin offered the best protec-
tion, with 98.63% of the essential oil being retained and the same
proportion of b-caryophyllene being entrapped. The obtained results
showed that the microcapsules might have potential applications in
the protection of essential oil from fruits of P. emarginatus and
contribute to the development of an herbal medicine.
Keywords b-Caryophyllene; Encapsulation; Essential oil; Gum
arabic; Maltodextrin; Pterodon emarginatus
INTRODUCTION
Pterodon emarginatus Vogel is a tree commonly known
as ‘‘sucupira-branca’’ and is well known as a medicinal
plant from the Brazilian Cerrado. The essential oil
extracted from the fruits of the genus Pterodon has been
widely studied and exhibits numerous pharmacological
activities proven to treat bronchitis and tonsillitis,[1] anti-
Trypanossoma cruzi activity,[2] antimicrobial activity
against S. aureus ATCC 25923, expressive activity in vitro
against Leishmania amazonensis,[3] anti-inflammatory and
antinociceptive properties.[4]
Many active compounds in products of natural origin,
such as essential oils, are unstable. These oils can interact
Correspondence: Suzana F. Alves, Laboratório de Pesquisa
de Produtos Naturais, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade
Federal de Goiás, C.P. 131, 74001-970, Goiânia, GO, Brazil;
E-mail: suzanafal@gmail.com
96
and volatilize or simply rust.[5] Most of these compounds
are encapsulated in solid agents to increase their protection,
control the release of the active component, reduce eva-
poration, and promote greater ease of manipulation.[6]
Furthermore, the essential oils are typically encapsulated
to significantly increase their shelf-life because the encapsu-
lation can prevent oxidation and volatilization and also
enable the controlled release and the conversion of liquid
flavoring into solids.[7] A study performed by Alves et al.[8]
about chemical composition and variability of essential oils
from P. emarginatus observed that the b-caryophyllene
(sesquiterpene hydrocarbon) was the major compound
and possible marker for the volatile fraction of this species.
Microencapsulation of aromatic compounds (volatiles)
involves a carrier matrix and is important for providing
protection against degradation reactions and increasing
the stability of the aromatic nucleus.[9] Microencapsulation
has numerous industrial applications, which include appli-
cations in the pharmaceutical industry, where the technique
is used to increase the stability of a drug or to alter or slow
its site-specific release.[10] To improve the properties of new
products, one alternative for this purpose is the insertion of
microcapsules, resulting in safety in conservation of active
compounds.[11]
Among the reported methods for microencapsulation
of volatile substances, the most common technique used
in industry is spray drying, which is suitable for the encap-
sulation of oils and oleoresins.[12] The spray drying
results in good, high-quality products with low water
activities that are easy to transport and store. However,
an evaluation of the drying conditions is necessary to
obtain products with improved characteristics and better
performance.[13]
The selection of an appropriate wall material is critical
to the encapsulation efficiency of the spray drying. The
choice of an encapsulating agent depends on a number of
 MICROENCAPSULATION OF PTERODON EMARGINATUS ESSENTIAL OIL 97

factors, including non-reactivity with the material to be by Prof. Dr. José Realino de Paula. A voucher specimen
encapsulated, the process used to form the microcapsule, was deposited at the Herbarium at the Universidade
and the release mechanism.[14] Federal de Goiás, Goiás State, Brazil (UFG41 714).
Gum arabic is an effective agent in the encapsulation
processes because of its colloid functionality. It produces
Essential Oil Extraction and GC/MS Analysis
the most stable emulsions with oils over a wide pH range
Fruits of P. emarginatus (60 g) were pulverized in a knife
and is compatible with most gums, starches, carbohy-
mill and submitted to hydrodistillation in a modified
drates, and proteins.[15] The hydrolyzed starch maltodex-
Clevenger-type apparatus (4 h). Each essential oil was dried
trin, which exhibits a dextrose equivalent (DE) less than
over anhydrous sodium sulfate and stored at 20 C
20, is often used as a wall material because of its low cost,
for further analysis. The essential oil was analyzed by
good flavor, high solubility in water (75%), and the low
gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC=MS) on
viscosity of the solutions it forms.[16]
a Shimadzu QP5050A instrument. The column, a CBP-5
Therefore, the use of mixtures of maltodextrin and gum
(Shimadzu) fused-silica capillary column (30 m long 
arabic appears to offer a good balance between cost and
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0.25 mm i.d.  0.25 mm film thickness composed of 5%

efficiency. For the encapsulation of volatile constituents
phenylmethylpolysiloxane), was connected to a quadrupole
by spray drying, the retention of these substances has been
detector operated in EI mode at 70 eV. Helium was used as
shown to depend on the relationship between gum arabic
the carrier gas at a flow rate of 1 ml min1. The injector and
and maltodextrin, with weight ratios between 3:2 and 2:3
interface temperatures were 220 C and 240 C, respectively,
demonstrating the best results.[17] The mixture of malto-
with a split ratio of 1:5. The injection volume was 0.5 lL
dextrin and gum arabic has been reported to be effective
(10% in hexane), and the oven temperature program
in the microencapsulation of cardamom oil using a spray
consisted of ramping from 60 C to 240 C at 3 C min1,
dryer. Zhang et al.[18] used a mixture of maltodextrin
followed by an increase to 280 C at 10 C min1, and
(60%) and gum arabic (40%) to microencapsulate procya-
ending with 5 min at 280 C. Essential-oil constituents
nidins from grape seeds with good results; these authors
were identified by comparison of their mass spectra
also demonstrated that the stability of the products was
with those from the National Institute of Standards and
obviously improved by spray drying.
Technology[19] and by comparing the mass spectra and
The present work is aimed at the microencapsulation
calculated linear retention indices (RI) with values in the
of the essential oil from fruits of Pterodon emarginatus
literature.[20] Retention indices were obtained by co-
using the spray-drying technique and gum arabic and
injection with a mixture of linear hydrocarbons, C8–C32
maltodextrin as wall materials. We also evaluated the
(Sigma, USA).
drying conditions in the spray dryer, characterized the
formed microcapsules, and evaluated the stability of
the b-caryophyllene during storage. This work represents Preparation of Microcapsules by Spray Drying
the first study of a technological development of an herbal Essential oil from the fruits of P. emarginatus was added
medicine from the essential oil of P. emarginatus. to the gum arabic and maltodextrin, which were previously
dissolved in water, and an emulsion was obtained using
MATERIAL AND METHODS a mechanical stirrer (Tecnal1 TE 039=1) operated at
900 rpm for 40 min. Five emulsions were prepared with
Chemicals
different wall-material concentrations. The emulsions
Analytical-grade gum arabic (PA) with a minimum
produced were called E1 (essential oil (EO): gum arabic
purity of 85% was obtained from Vetec1 (Brazil) (lot:
(G): maltodextrin (M), in a proportion (w=w) of 1:2:3.6,
0905138; manufactured: 08=2009; validated: 08=2014).
respectively), E2 (1EO:3 G:3.6 M – w=w), E3 (1EO:2 G –
Maltodextrin with DE: 4-7 was obtained from Sigma-
w=w), E4 (1EO:3 G – w=w), and E5 (1EO:3.6 M – w=w).
Aldrich1(St. Louis) (lot: MKD3622; manufactured:
The emulsions were continuously mixed using a mechanical
06=09=2010; validated: 12=14=2015). b-Caryophyllene pat-
mixer with a magnetic stir bar during the drying process,
tern (purity
98.5%) was purchased from Sigma-Aldrich.
which was conducted with an atomizer (spray dryer
HPLC-grade acetonitrile and methanol were purchased
LABMAQ model MSD 1.0, equipped with a cylindrical
from JT Baker1, and ultrapure water was produced using
chamber of 50 cm height by 9 cm diameter); the spray
a Milli-Q system (Millipore1, Bedford, MA, USA).
nozzle was of the double (one spray nozzle of 1.2 mm
and the other spray nozzle of 0.7 mm), and the flow
Herbal Material rate was controlled using a peristaltic pump. The drying
Fruits of P. emarginatus were collected in Correntina, parameters of flow rate, the diameter of the spray nozzle,
Bahia (13 220 5000 S= 44 370 0200 W, 561 m), Brazil, in and the inlet temperature were varied as a model for the
September 2007, and the plants were botanically identified evaluation of the microcapsules obtained using emulsion
 98 ALVES ET AL.

TABLE 1 Analysis of Microcapsules

Varied drying parameters used in the spray dryer to obtain Determination of Water Activity (aw) in the Microcapsules
microcapsules of essential oil P. emarginatus Water activity (aw) measurements of the microcapsules
were performed using a TESTO1 (AG, Germany) model
Drying
650 water activity analyzer. Microcapsules (250 mg) were
process Emulsion Proportion Conditions
inserted into the collection bottle of the equipment, and
1 E2 EO : G : M Spray nozzle 1.2 mma the samples were analyzed in triplicate. The instrument
(1 : 3 : 3.6) Inlet temp. ¼ 130 C was calibrated at an average temperature of 22.7 C.
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1
2 E2 EO : G : M Spray nozzle 1.0 mma Encapsulation Efficiency
(1 : 3 : 3.6) Inlet temp. ¼ 130 C The method described by Anker and Reineccius[22] for
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1 calculating the encapsulation efficiency was adapted:
3 E2 EO : G : M Spray nozzle 0.7 mma approximately 10 g of microcapsules were transferred to a
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(1 : 3 : 3.6) Inlet temp. ¼ 130 C 250 mL round-bottom flask, to which 100 mL of water
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1 was added; this was followed by steam distillation in
4 E2 EO : G : M Spray nozzle1.2 mm Clevenger-type apparatus for 4 h. Quantification of the
(1 : 3 : 3.6) Inlet temp. = 100 Ca total essential oil encapsulated was performed in triplicate.
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1 The yields were calculated from the volumes of essential oil
5 E2 EO : G : M Spray nozzle1.2 mm obtained during the water distillation and from the specific
(1 : 3 : 3.6) Inlet temp. = 160 Ca density of the essential oil from fruits of P. emarginatus
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1 (density ¼ 0.9254 g mL1). The essential oil re-extracted
6 E2 EO : G : M Spray nozzle1.2 mm from the microcapsules prepared from emulsion E2 was
(1 : 3 : 3.6) Inlet temp. ¼ 130 C analyzed using GC=MS (method described in section
Flow rate = 5 mL min1a Essential oil extraction and GC=MS analysis) to evaluate
7 E1 (1EO: 2 G: Spray nozzle 1.2 mm the composition after the microencapsulation process.
3.6 M) Inlet temp. ¼ 130 C
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1 Morphology
8 E3 (1EO : Spray nozzle 1.2 mm Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
2 G) Inlet temp. ¼ 130 C
Microcapsules that contained essential oil were attached
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1
to metallic adhesive tapes adhered to metallic stubs. A fine
9 E4 (1EO : Spray nozzle 1.2 mm
layer of gold was deposited onto the stubs using an evapor-
3 G) Inlet temp. ¼ 130 C
ator (Denton Vacuum – Desk V). The observations were
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1
made using a JEOL1 model JSM-6610 scanning electron
10 E5 (1EO : Spray nozzle 1.2 mm
microscope equipped with an EDS accessory (Thermo
3.6 M) Inlet temp. ¼ 130 C
Scientific NSS Spectral Imaging).
Flow rate ¼ 4 mL min1
EO: essential oil; G: gum arabic; M: maltodextrin DE 4-7; X-Ray Diffraction
Temp.: temperature. The microcapsules obtained from emulsion E2 were
a
Parameter evaluated. investigated using a Shimadzu model DRX-6000 diffract-
ometer (LabX DRX Diffractometer) at room temperature.
E2 (Table 1). The inlet temperature was measured by The scanning angle ranged from 10 to 80 (2h); a scan mode
display of the equipment across the thermometer. The that used CuKa (1.54 Å) radiation filtered through nickel
other parameters of air flow (40 L min1), pressure was employed at a potential of 40 kV and a current of
(60 psi), and outlet air temperature (90 C) of all the drying 20 mA.
process were constant. Thus, the droplet size of the
atomized emulsion might also have influenced the Determination of Particle Size
morphology of the particles. Smaller droplets have higher The particles were analyzed using the image-analysis
mass and heat transfer rates than those of larger atomized program IMAGE J (v. 1.36b). Four images were assessed
particles and, as a result, microencapsulated powders have from each drying process (Table 1) to sweep a broad field
less dented and wrinkled particles.[21] At the end of each of view. First, the images were converted from standard
drying process, the capsules were collected, placed in RGB to 8-bit grayscale images of 640  480 pixels with
plastic amber bottles, and stored for further analysis in levels of gray intensity ranging between 0 and 255.
a glass desiccator at room temperature. Each image was then binarized using the median of the
 MICROENCAPSULATION OF PTERODON EMARGINATUS ESSENTIAL OIL 99

histogram of the gray level as a parameter of binariza- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

tion.[23] Then, the scale of the image was determined using
micrometer conversion points, and the area, circularity,
and perimeter of the structure bounded by the micropar-
ticles were subsequently measured. If the microparticles
are considered perfectly spherical, then the average
diameter surface of the particles can be calculated. The
obtained data were statistically analyzed in a spreadsheet
(Microsoft Excel 2007) to calculate the Sauter [3,2], which
is the parameter of diameter statistics that relates volume
and area (Eq. (1)). The maximum and minimum dia-
meters found in the samples showed the scattering of
the distribution.
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Essential Oil and Microcapsules
The essential oils extracted from fruits of P. emarginatus
have a chemical profile composed only of sesquiterpene
compounds; the total volatile compounds (62.64%) are
classified as sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and 36.54% are
oxygenated sesquiterpenes (Table 2). The essential oil
contains 20.30% b-caryophyllene, its major constituent,
and this compound was chosen for monitoring of the
process of microencapsulation and for the stability study.
The production of microcapsules by spray drying resulted
in a fine, white powder.

Analysis of Spray-Dried Microcapsules

P 3
d Determination of Water Activity (aw) in the Microcapsules
Sauter ½3; 2 ¼ P AP ð1Þ The water activity in the analyzed microcapsules was
d2AP
close to 0.2 (Table 3). Turchiuli et al.[16] have noted that
where dAp is the diameter (mm) of an equivalent sphere of
the same projected area obtained by image analysis, and TABLE 2
Sauter [3,2] is the diameter. Chemical composition of the essential oil from fruits of
P. emarginatus obtained by hydrodistillation and identified
by GC=MS
Storage Stability Test of E2 Microcapsules
Fifteen grams of microcapsules obtained from emul- Retention (% V=wb)
a
sion E2 were subjected to a temperature of 25 C and Volatile constituents time (min) IK Relative in EO
60% relative humidity (RH) over a period of 45 days in
a-Cubebene 22.51 1348 0.90
a FANEM model 002CB greenhouse culture (first cleaned
a-Copaene 23.68 1376 4.74
aseptically), adapted to simulate 60% humidity (RH). The
b-Elemene 24.40 1390 16.58
sample was placed in a plastic amber bottle (PVC) and
b-Caryophyllene 25.60 1419 20.30
tightly sealed until the time of each collection; five collec-
a-Humulene 27.01 1452 4.63
tions were made in five days to monitor the compound
Caryophyllene 27.33 1466 2.99
b-caryophyllene. Quantification of b-caryophyllene in the
9-Epi-E
essential oil of the microcapsules was performed
c-Muurolene 28.00 1479 1.20
according to the method developed by Alves[4] using
Dauca-5,8-diene 28.20 1472 9.81
high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC–PDA)
Biciclogermacrene 28.85 1500 3.89
with a mobile phase that consisted of acetonitrile
a-Muurolene 28.98 1500 1.21
(ACN), methanol (MeOH) and ultrapure water (H2O
c-Cadinene 29.55 1513 1.98
Milli-Q1) in a ratio of 75 : 10 : 15 (v=v) at a flow rate
d-Cadinene 29.93 1523 3.82
of 1.3 mL min1 at room temperature. Chromatography
Spathulenol 32.18 1578 13.79
was performed using a C8 column (250 mm  4.6 mm,
Caryophyllene oxide 32.38 1583 8.33
5 mm, Luna) from Phenomenex1. The system was kept
Globulol 33.18 1590 0.52
under isocratic conditions. The HPLC analysis was per-
Humulene epoxide II 33.40 1608 1.86
formed with a Waters1 chromatograph (Massachusetts,
a-Cadinol 35.16 1654 1.16
USA) equipped with an e2695 separation module and a
Caryophyllene 35.81 1669 0.51
photodiode array detector (PDA 2998) set to a wave-
14-hydroxy-9-Epi-E
length of k ¼ 210 nm. The software Empower 2.0 was used
Farnesol 37.68 1715 0.96
for data collection and processing. To a 25 mL volumetric
Total 99.19
flask was added 0.1 g of the E2 microcapsules; then the
Unidentified 0.81
solution was diluted to its final volume with HPLC-grade
Hydrocarbons sesq. 62.64
methanol and was subsequently subjected to ultrasonic
Oxygenated sesq. 36.54
extraction for 40 min. The solution was filtered through
filter paper and Millex1 syringe filters (0.45 mm pore size) a
IK: Kovats index; Sesq.: sesquiterpenos; EO: essential oil.
b
and then injected into the HPLC. V=w Volume=weight%.
 100 ALVES ET AL.

TABLE 3 physicochemical properties that must be taken into

Water activity (aw) and encapsulation efficiency of the consideration during the encapsulation process.
microcapsules containing the essential oil of P. emarginatus A comparison of the chemical profile of the essential oil
obtained by spray drying extracted from the microcapsules after spray drying
(Table 4) and the chemical profile of the essential oil
Encapsulation obtained before the emulsion formation and the drying
Microcapsules aw Mean  SDa efficiency process (Table 2) reveal a decrease of 35.74% for the mar-
E1 0.163  0.0010 94.49% ker b-caryophyllene in E1 relative to that in the essential oil
E2b 0.090  0.0015 98.63% raw material; no change in the content of the marker was
E3 0.142  0.0011 84.89% observed in E2, whereas the content of the marker was
E4 0.276  0.0010 94.35% decreased 39.50% in E3, 29.95% in E4, and 44.71% in E5.
E5 0.164  0.0000 92.78% Compounds such as caryophyllene oxide, globulol, and
dauca-5,8-diene were not identified in the essential oil of
a
Results are expressed as mean  SD (standard deviation) of the microcapsules, which suggests a loss of compounds
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triplicate measurements. in the process of obtaining microparticulates. Quispe-

b
Drying process 5 (inlet temperature: 160 C).
Condori et al.[26] evaluated the microencapsulation process
of flax oil using spray drying and lyophilization, and they
a water activity of approximately 0.2 prevents the particles
from coalescing and ensures good stability against micro-
organisms during storage. Tonon et al.[24] performed a TABLE 4
microencapsulation of açaı́ anthocyanins and observed Recovery of constituents from the essential oil of
that the presence of maltodextrin resulted in powders that P. emarginatus entrapped in microcapsules prepared
were less hygroscopic because maltodextrin is a powder from different proportions of wall materials, identified
with low hygroscopicity. The authors confirmed the effec- by GC=MS
tiveness of maltodextrin as a carrier agent by reducing
Essential oil recovery of microcapsules
the hygroscopicity of dehydrated products by spray drying.
Ascheri et al.[25] in a study on the characteristics of water (%) relative in essential oil
adsorption and stability of the microcapsules that contain
the oil of orange, observed that a water activity below Volatile constituents E1 E2 E3 E4 E5
approximately 0.4 (aw ¼ 0.4) may have minimal effects a-Cubebene 1.42 0.78 1.29 1.62 1.44
on the stability of the microcapsules during storage. a-Copaene – 4.54 – – –
b-Elemene 11.53 17.45 10.54 13.25 9.82
Encapsulation Efficiency
b-Caryophyllene 13.32 21.23 12.54 15.35 11.46
The total amount of essential oil recovered from the five a-Humulene 3.92 4.73 3.71 4.38 3.21
lots of microcapsules is shown in Table 3. The results for Caryophyllene 9-Epi-E 1.41 3.10 1.38 1.61 1.23
the retention of volatile components during the formation c-Muurolene 0.57 1.13 0.42 0.60 0.53
of the microcapsules show the efficacy of microencapsula- Dauca-5,8-diene – – – – –
tion of the wall material used: the E2 formulation exhibits Biciclogermacrene 3.61 4.72 3.94 4.22 2.58
the most effective microencapsulation of the essential oil of a-Muurolene 0.47 1.14 0.45 0.56 –
P. emarginatus, whereas the microcapsules of E1, E4, and c-Cadinene 0.71 1.82 0.89 1.00 0.41
E5 exhibited 92.78% retention, and E3 exhibited 84.89% d-Cadinene 1.17 3.51 1.40 1.59 1.15
total retention of essential oil. Spathulenol 21.97 10.63 28.31 19.81 25.97
Krishnan et al.,[15] who performed the encapsulation of Caryophyllene oxide – – – – –
cardamom oleoresin using gum arabic and maltodextrin Globulol – – – – –
as the wall material, assessed the retention of the volatile Humulene Epoxide II 3.94 1.39 4.18 3.54 4.17
compounds 1,8-cineol and a-tripenil acetate and obtained a-Cadinol 1.90 0.83 0.64 2.03 2.13
encapsulation efficiency values in the ranges of 46.62– Caryophyllene 0.76 0.36 1.14 0.60 0.79
50.80% for a-tripenil acetate and 24.51–28.59% for 14-hydroxy-9-Epi-E
1,8-cineol. Bertolini et al.,[7] who studied the encapsulation Farnesol 1.5 – 1.9 1.5 1.2
of monoterpenes with gum arabic by spray drying, Total 68.28 77.36 72.81 71.71 66.17
achieved recoveries of 91–75% for limonene, 64–44% for Unidentified 31.72 22.64 27.19 28.29 33.87
linalol, 86–47% for citral, 88–74% for a-mircene, and Hydrocarbons Sesq. 38.13 63.85 36.56 44.18 31.83
97–81% for a-pinene. These authors’ results lead us to Oxygenated Sesq. 28.15 13.51 36.25 27.53 34.34
conclude that the core (material to be encapsulated) exhibits
 MICROENCAPSULATION OF PTERODON EMARGINATUS ESSENTIAL OIL
found that the encapsulation efficiency achieved by freeze
drying (75.42%  0.62%) was lower than that achieved by
spray drying (93.23%  0.95%); this result highlights the
technical feasibility of spray drying for the production of
microcapsules that contain oils.
Morphology
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Digital image analysis can play an important role in
the evaluation of microcapsules, such as changes in their
particle size, incrustation, inflation and shrinking, and the
presence of pores that have been associated with the spray
drying.[27]
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Drying process 1 resulted in particles with a smooth sur-
face with some deformation of the surface (Fig. 1a). Drying
process 2 resulted in particles with a smooth surface and
with some irregularities (surface folds) (Fig. 1b). Drying
process 3 resulted in particles that were probably smaller;
however, a greater number of microcapsules were observed
(Fig. 1c). The use of an inlet temperature of 100 C (drying
process 4) resulted in particles with highly irregular sur-
faces, but the particles were less crowded (Fig. 1d) than
those obtained through drying process 3. Alamilla-Beltrán
et al.[28] noted that the mechanisms involved in the
FIG. 1. SEM microphotographs of the microcapsules from emulsion E2
containing the essential oil of P. emarginatus obtained by drying processes
1 (a), 2 (b), 3 (c), 4 (d), 5 (e), and 6 (f).
101
contraction and deformation of the particles dried by spray
drying are, in general, more pronounced when the drying
temperature is low because the diffusion of water is slower
and because a long drying time makes the structure
deform, shrink (which results in roughness), and collapse
(which results in breakage). When the temperature of the
intake air is low, the low rate of evaporation causes the for-
mation of microcapsules with membranes of high density
that flow poorly and easily agglomerate.[29]
The parameter measured in drying process 5 was the
temperature (160 C); this temperature resulted in smooth
and spherical particles. Field observations of the images
show numerous homogeneous particles (Fig. 1e). In drying
process 6, where the measured parameter was the flow
rate of the emulsion system, the particles obtained were
also numerous with very irregular surfaces (Fig. 1f); this
increased flow rate led to problems in the drying process,
including clogging of the spray nozzle. According to
Oliveira and Petrovick,[30] the flow of the feed material
should be adjusted so that the liquid sprayed evaporates
before contact with the walls of the drying chamber.
Spray drying represents an elegant one-step method for
producing biopharmaceutical formulations with unique
particle characteristics. Although spray drying subjects
therapeutic actives to temperatures in excess of 100 C
(utilizing a co-current spray dryer in a single-stage mode),
the appropriate formulation strategies can be taken to
minimize detrimental effects on biomolecules. Finally, spray
drying can not only serve as an effective research tool, but
also offers large-scale manufacturing capabilities.[31]
The influence of dryer inlet and exit air temperatures has
received considerable attention.[22,32] It is desirable that a
high inlet air temperature be used to allow rapid formation
of a semipermeable membrane on the droplet surface, but
yet not so high as to cause heat damage to the dry product
or excessive bubble growth and surface disruption, which
increases losses during drying or causes the particles to
become sticky and cake.[33] The influence of dryer exit air
temperature on flavor retention is not as well documented.
It has been shown that the retention of small, soluble flavor-
ants such as diacetyl increases with increasing exit air tem-
peratures, but this effect is less significant when one is
drying less volatile flavorants (e.g., orange essential oil).[22,34]
The E1 (1EO:2 G:3.6 M) microcapsules exhibited thick
walls that should protect the encapsulated material and
prevent its evaporation; however, the microcapsules
showed an irregular surface (Fig. 2a), which may affect
its performance based on claims of the rheological proper-
ties required for formulations. The E2 (1EO:3 G:3.6 M)
microcapsules were thick-walled with a smooth surface
that was glassy and homogeneous (Fig. 2b).
The E3 (1EO:2 G) and E4 (1EO:3 G) were highly poly-
morphic and agglomerated, with thin walls, which resulted
in the microcapsules being fragile (Fig. 2c). The E5
 102 ALVES ET AL.
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FIG. 2. SEM microphotographs of the microcapsules that contain the
essential oil of P. emarginatus obtained using different proportions of
gum arabic and maltodextrin (wall material): (a) E1 (1EO : 2 G : 3.6 M);
(b) E2 (1EO : 3 G : 3.6 M); (c) E3 (1EO : 2 G); (d) E5 (1EO : 3.6 M).
(1EO:3.6 M) microcapsules, which consisted only of essen-
tial oil and maltodextrin DE (4-7), showed minor micro-
capsules compared to the other emulsions. The formed
microcapsules were not agglomerated (Fig. 2d), which
resulted in few and scattered particles, probably due to
the low emulsifying capacity of maltodextrin.
Thus, the proposed combination of gum arabic and mal-
todextrin, which has already been analyzed by several
authors[9,15,35,36] when applied to the encapsulation of the
essential oil of P. emarginatus, showed that E2, which exhib-
ited the highest ratio between gum arabic and maltodextrin,
presented the best combination of polymerization and
resulted in microcapsules with a smooth and homogeneous
surface. Gum arabic, which has historically been considered
an excellent encapsulating material because of its solubility,
low viscosity, good emulsifying properties, mild flavor and
oxidation resistance, and which afforded oils and maltodex-
trin with a low dextrose equivalent (DE), is of paramount
importance. It also stabilized the emulsion and led to the
formation of a thicker microcapsule wall, which prevented
absorption of moisture by the system.
X-Ray Diffraction
X-ray diffraction, which is widely used in studies of
microencapsulation by co-crystallization, was used in this
study to demonstrate the presence of amorphous material
(essential oil) as opposed to a material with a crystalline
structure. Müller[37] used X-ray diffraction to investigate
microcapsules of orange essential oil encapsulated with
gum arabic and maltodextrin and noted that the micropar-
ticles showed amorphous properties (no crystalline region
was defined). This amorphous structure was observed
because gum arabic and maltodextrin also have amorphous
character, and these wall materials do not form a crystal-
line structure; they only rearrange to form a protective
structure. Microcapsules of E2 exhibited an amorphous
material, which indicated the presence of essential oil
and thus confirmed the encapsulation of the essential oil
from fruits of P. emarginatus. The broad peak between
10 and 30 (2h) and the intensity on the order of 400 to
1450 were not defined because of excessive noise; this
diffraction pattern is indicative of an amorphous material,
thereby indicating the encapsulation of the essential oil.
Determination of Particle Size
Particle Size Distribution According to Drying Conditions
Figure 3 shows the particle size distributions of emulsion
E2 when drying processes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were per-
formed with variations in the spray-drying parameters
(Table 1), availing the morphology and size of the particles.
These results allow the detection of differences in the
diameters of the particles obtained in each drying process
and also allow variations in the percentage of particles
inferior to 5 mm to be evaluated. Table 5 presents
the Sauter [3,2] (i.e., the ratio volume  the area of the
microcapsules) calculated for each drying process and the
percentage of particles inferior to 5 mm. Mean size of ato-
mized particle and size distribution of the spray as well
as particle trajectory and velocity inside the chamber and
product collection system will all contribute to determine
the overall quality of the operation.
The particle shape and size measurements affect the
flowability of powders and the presence of the bioactive
material does not appear to alter the particle size or shape
significantly.[38]
The results of particles size inferior to 5 mm too contri-
buted into confirmation of the obtained microcapsules,
because according to Sachan et al.[39] and the French
Pharmacopoeia, microcapsules are solid material consist-
ing of a solid envelope containing a liquid or solid or
a pasty substance. The microcapsules occur in the form
of powder with particles less than 1250 mm in diameter.
Storage Stability Test of E2 Microcapsules
In addition to the volatility and diffusion of the core
material through the wall of the dry capsule, the effect of
temperature and oxygen on the samples can catalyze reac-
tions that lead to the formation of derivatives; such reac-
tions result in a decrease in the content of the compound
originally encapsulated. However, this decrease is also
a function of the susceptibility of the core material to
degradation processes, including oxidation and dehydration
reactions.
Figure 4 shows the decrease in the amount of compound
b-caryophyllene, which was used to monitor the amount of
 MICROENCAPSULATION OF PTERODON EMARGINATUS ESSENTIAL OIL 103
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FIG. 3. Histograms of the particle size distributions of the microcapsules obtained using different drying processes: (A) drying process 1; (B) drying
process 2; (C) drying process 3; (D) drying process 4; (E) drying process 5; (F) drying process 6.

essential oil encapsulated in the E2 microcapsules. The
reduction in the amount of b-caryophyllene occurs pri-
marily between the fifth and tenth day of analysis, with
approximately 9.64% loss. From day 10 to 25, a reduction
of 10.41% was observed, and the level remained practically
unchanged after day 25: 75.88% at the twenty-fifth day and
70.55% at the forty-fifth day (last day of the test). Rocha
et al.[40] have studied the stability of lycopene microcap-
sules at temperatures of 10 C and 25 C for 73 days; they
removed a jar every seven days to check the lycopene con-
tent. These authors found that the retention of lycopene
was strongly influenced by temperature and that, for all
 104
TABLE 5
Sauter [3,2] calculated for each set of drying conditions and for various sizes of microcapsules (number
of the images analyzed ¼ 4 by drying conditions)
Drying Number of the
process microcapsules analyzed
1 595
2 494
3 406
4 418
5 1057
6 661
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FIG. 4. Stability of the b-caryophyllene entrapped in the microencapsu-
lated essential oil from fruits of P. emarginatus: Microcapsules of the E2
emulsion (1EO:3 G:3.6 M).
the systems studied, the retention was significantly greater
when the formulations were maintained at 10 C compared
to storage at 25 C. These results were expected because
lycopene undergoes oxidation at elevated temperatures.
CONCLUSION
The encapsulation of the essential oil from the fruits of
P. emarginatus is possible using the spray-drying technique
and gum arabic and maltodextrin as wall-material encapsu-
lants. However, among the formulations studied, emulsion
2 (which exhibited an encapsulation efficiency of 98.63%
and a water activity of 0.090) and drying process 5 were
the most efficient for encapsulation. Emulsion 2 also con-
fers greater stability during storage (retention of 70.55%
of the compound b-caryophyllene over 45 days) and
resulted in a microcapsule diameter and size distribution
that are suitable for future process technologies. The stud-
ied microcapsules exhibited good functionality and good
potential for use in herbal medicine because of their ability
to conserve and protect the essential oil from degradation
and evaporation.
ALVES ET AL.
Microcapsules
Sauter [3,2] ¼ d3,2 Size variation (mm) (<5 mm)  SD
18.14 mm 1.18–41.83 61.17%  1,00%
30.58 mm 1.12–66.14 51.61%  1,10%
28.85 mm 1.18–64.65 53.20%  0,90%
19.73 mm 1.18–33.68 65.55%  0,98%
32.35 mm 1.12–88.39 63.95%  1,08%
20.62 mm 1.12–45.23 65.80%  0,98%
This work demonstrate a promising intermediary
product for phytopharmaceuticals purposes, considering
that the microcapsules presented efficient properties in
conservation of b-caryophyllene content, a major repre-
sentative compound with biological properties found in
essential oil from P. emarginatus.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support
from CNPq and grants from CAPES; Laboratório de
Microscopia de Alta Resolução (LabMic=Institute of
Physics, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás,
Brazil) for SEM analysis; and the Central Analı́tica=
Institute of Chemistry=Universidade Federal de Goiás,
Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil) for X-ray diffraction analysis.
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