Food preservation effects of curcumin microcapsules

Curcumin has numerous biological activities but its low stability and water-solubility limit its applications. Microencapsulation of curcumin can improve both of these properties. In this work, food preservation effects of curcumin microcapsules in practical applications for foods such as tofu, bread and cooked pork were studied. The results show that curcumin microcapsules had preservation effects on food when its concentration was above 0.035%, even if it was boiled. Compared with free curcumin, microcapsules not only had better solubility and high heat resistance but also reduced mold spores by (34.4 ± 2.5) to (52.3 ± 4.1)%. Curcumin microcapsules therefore offer a superior choice for preserving food, especially during thermal processing.

► Disease indices of foods are greatly decreased by curcumin microcapsules.
► Mold spores on foods are obviously inhibited by curcumin microcapsules.
► Compared with free curcumin, microcapsules have higher activity after heat treatment.
► Curcumin microcapsules as a preservative have preferable food preservation effects.