ABSTRACT
Microencapsulation technologies are being increasingly exploited in a variety of industries, including the food industry, with the aim to entrap and protect reactive and sensitive bioactives (e.g., vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, ω-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, and probiotics) or volatile food additives (e.g., food flavorants and oleoresins) into micro- to nano-sized particles of varying morphologies and fine structure that can be incorporated into a formulated product matrix and subsequently allow for target-delivery of the entrapped component(s). The most commonly applied technologies are spray drying, freeze drying, spray chilling/spray cooling, extrusion technologies, coacervation, electro-hydrodynamic processes, biopolymeric microgel particles, molecular inclusion complexation, and liposome formation. This introductory chapter provides a succinct discussion on recent advances of the most commonly employed encapsulation techniques, as they apply to food products, along with the underlying principles and parameters affecting encapsulation efficiency and material properties of the micro/nano-encapsulates. Several methods used to characterize the physicochemical properties, structure, and function of the capsules are also pointed out. Overall, this synopsis can orient even a non-familiar reader to identify a suitable method for a certain application of functional ingredients in the food production area.
