Maltodextrin as wall material for microcapsules: A review

Maltodextrin (MD) is a partially hydrolyzed product of starch that can be used to encapsulate food, medicine, essential oil and other substances. MD-based microcapsules can enhance the color, aroma, and taste of products, improve the solubility and stability of core materials, and slowly release the core materials for a long time to achieve certain specific uses. Therefore, the development of MD-based microcapsules is a key research field in food, pharmaceutics, cosmetics and other industries. In this paper, the progress of MD microcapsules and their applications in recent ten years is reviewed. First, the main characteristics of MD microcapsules are briefly introduced. Then, the preparation process, influencing factors, physical and chemical properties, stability, release mechanism and application in various fields of MD microcapsules are introduced in detail. This review is intended to provide reference on the properties of MD for researchers who desire to prepare microcapsules.