Omega-3 Encapsulation in Chitosan Gets Study Boost

Wanwimol Klaypradit and Yao-Wen Huang from the University of Georgia’s Department of Food Science and Technology report that combining chitosan and maltodextrin and applying the ultrasonic technique produced the smallest particles with highest emulsion stability, with high retention of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. The research also explores the potential of an ultrasonic atomizer for the encapsulation process, as an alternative to spray-drying. The encapsulation technique used in the new study used three steps – emulsification, ultrasonic atomisation, and freeze drying. Combining the chitosan with maltodextrin or whey protein isolate, the researchers investigated the encapsulation of tuna fish oil. They report that the optimum ratios for chitosan to maltodextrin or whey protein were 1:10 and 1:1, respectively, with the former combination producing the smallest particle size (8.4 versus 10.2 micrometres, respectively), and the highest encapsulation efficiency (83.5 versus 79.3 per cent, respectively).

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