Microencapsulation in Food Chemistry

Abstract

<span class="fontstyle0">Encapsulation, invented in 1953 by B.K. Green & L. Schleicher employed in the laboratories of the National Cash Register Company, Dayton, USA, is defned as a technology of packaging solids, liquids, or gaseous materials in miniature, sealed capsules that can release their contents at controlled rates under specifc conditions. Encapsulation involves the incorporation of food ingredients, enzymes, cells, or other materials in small capsules. Microcapsules offer food processors a means to protect sensitive food components, ensure against nutritional loss, utilize otherwise sensitive ingredients, incorporate unusual or time-release mechanisms into the formulation, mask or preserve flavors and aromas, and transform liquids into easily handled solid ingredients. Various techniques are employed to form microcapsules, including: spray drying, extrusion coating, fluidized-bed coating, coacervation, layer-by-layer, and interfacial polymerization method. Recent developments in each of these techniques are discussed in this review, comprehensively.</span>