Quinoa protein-gum Arabic complex coacervates as a novel carrier for eugenol: Preparation, characterization and application for minced pork preservation

Minced pork is prone to quality deterioration during storage. To maintain the quality of minced pork for longer time, eugenol encapsulated multi-core microcapsules were developed using quinoa protein (QP) and gum Arabic (GA) as wall materials via complex coacervation. The optimum conditions for the formation of QP-GA coacervates were determined as pH 4 and a QP-GA mixing ratio of 4:1. The optimally produced eugenol microcapsules were found to possess multi-core structure with an average particle size of 29.53 μm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis further proved existence of electrostatic interaction between QP and GA, and formation of hydrogen bonds between eugenol (core material) and coacervates (shell material). After freeze drying, the eugenol microcapsules were studied on encapsulation yield (EY), encapsulation efficiency (EE), payload (PL), thermal stability, and release behavior. The results revealed the high EY (94.27%), EE (88.60%), and PL (60.33%) of eugenol microcapsules, while eugenol showed good thermal stability and release property after microencapsulation using QP and GA. Moreover, the eugenol microcapsules were found to be more effective in inhibiting the increases in pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and total bacterial counts (TBC) than free eugenol and prolonged the shelf life of minced pork to 9 days at 4 °C, which suggested its good application prospect in meat preservation.