ABSTRACT
The fatty acids (FAs) that cannot be generated in the human body are called ‘essential fatty acids’ (EFAs). Those EFAs with health-promoting properties are called ‘functional oils’, the protection of which is critical to ensure their benefits. Functional oils are categorized according to their source to marine-based and plant-based EFAs. This chapter discusses the main groups of EFAs, spray drying encapsulation of EFAs mentioning its benefits and drawbacks, different potential wall materials for coating EFAs, and the effective factors on microencapsulation efficiency (MEE) of the functional oils. Moreover, the oxidative stability of microencapsulated EFAs, analytical methods for this measurement, the limit of EFAs’ oxidation according to food regulation standards, and, ultimately, the fortification of food products with spray dried fictional oils are presented. Based on the information obtained from the previous research, it can be concluded that spray drying encapsulation is an efficient method for the protection of functional oils, with the ability to produce powders with more than 90% MEE and high oxidative stability. Emulsification characteristics and spray drying conditions are the main influential parameters on the quality of functional oil powders, which have also been discussed in this chapter.
