Prospect of microcapsules as a delivery system in food technology: A review

Abstract

Microencapsulation is the process by which any active substances are coated with the help of very small capsules. The size of the capsules can range from one micron to several hundred micron values. The usage of these capsules is not limited to any field; it plays important role in many industries related to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food industries and in research applications as well. With the help of this latest technology encapsulation of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, flavors, omega-3 fatty acids, micro-organisms, enzymes, oils, peptides, protein hydrolysate, antioxidants and polyphenols is possible and there are many factors that play a vital role in the efficiency of microcapsules such as the concentration of polymer, rate of solvent removal, solubility of polymer insolvent, etc. microencapsulation can be done in many ways such as; spray drying, extrusion, lyophilization, coacervation, spray cooling, fluidized bed coating, co-crystallization and inclusion complexation. The article is a review of microencapsulation technology and lays emphasis on various substances that can be encapsulated with the help of this technique and different types of microencapsulation.