Nanodispersing thymol in whey protein isolate-maltodextrin conjugate capsules produced using the emulsion-evaporation technique

► Emulsion-evaporation was successfully used to encapsulate volatile thymol by spray drying. ► Encapsulation performance varied with emulsion compositions. ► Transparent dispersions with nanoparticles were obtained after hydrating spray-dried powders. ► WPI-maltodextrin conjugates were more feasible than WPI. ► Heat stable dispersions were observed at pH 3.0, 5.0 (pI of whey proteins) and 7.0 and 0 and 50 mM NaCl.