Innovative strategy based on combined microencapsulation technologies for food application and the influence of wall material composition

It is widely reported in the literature that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have positive effects on human health, therefore it is important to have alternatives to their direct addition into food products. This study investigated the use of combined microencapsulation technologies for fish oil and sacha inchi oil protection and food application. The microparticles were first obtained by spray drying. The evaluated wall materials were skimmed milk powder (SM), acacia gum (AG) and a mixture of acacia gum and grape juice (AGG). The SM:AG:AGG (ratio of 1:1:1) showed a positive effect on encapsulation efficiency (85.26-88.09%). The obtained microparticles had no unpleasant odour but did have a pronounced fish oil taste, likely due to the high solubility of the wall materials. A second shell formed by spray chilling overcame this limitation. In this stage, the spray drying microparticles were used as the core and a mixture of vegetable fat and hydrogenated palm oil was the wall material, providing microparticles with no oil taste and a sufficient amount of PUFAs to be incorporated into chocolate panned products with a positive sensory evaluation. The use of combined microencapsulation technologies was considered promising for encapsulating functional oils and increasing their use in processed foods.