Recent advances in the microencapsulation of omega-3 oil and probiotic bacteria through complex coacervation: A review

The review describes the advantages of co-encapsulation using complex coacervation followed by spray drying. It also describes the technological hurdles that need to be resolved for further development of industrial applications of co-encapsulation of probiotic bacteria and omega-3 lipids. The co-encapsulation concept has been widely used in pharmaceutical delivery systems, but is a relatively new concept in food ingredient stabilisation and delivery. There is a commercial need of co-encapsulation of multiple bioactive ingredients within a single microcapsules, due to decreased cost and enhanced product quality. Complex coacervation has been shown to be a useful method for the co-encapsulation of multiple unstable bioactive ingredients. Although in-vitro evaluation deliver useful bioavailability information, additional in-vivo and clinical trials are needed to determine the efficacy of bioactive release, particularly for microcapsules containing multiple bioactive ingredients.