Microencapsulation of Essential Oil from Fruits ofPterodon emarginatusUsing Gum Arabic and Maltodextrin as Wall Materials: Composition and Stability

Abstract The present investigation reports the microencapsulation of the essential oil from the fruits of Pterodon emarginatus by spray drying using gum arabic and maltodextrin. X-ray diffraction studies established that the essential oil was entrapped within the microcapsules rather than being adsorbed onto the surface. The morphology of the microcapsules was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The particle size (Sauter [3,2]) and particle size distribution of microcapsules were also determined. The microcapsules were evaluated for the content and stability of both volatiles and the major component, β-caryophyllene, for 45 days. A 1:3:3.6 blend of essential oil: gum arabic: maltodextrin offered the best protection, with 98.63% of the essential oil being retained and the same proportion of β-caryophyllene being entrapped. The obtained results showed that the microcapsules might have potential applications in the protection of essential oil from fruits of P. emarginatus and contribute to the development of an herbal medicine. Keywords: β-CaryophylleneEncapsulationEssential oilGum arabicMaltodextrin Pterodon emarginatus ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from CNPq and grants from CAPES; Laboratório de Microscopia de Alta Resolução (LabMic/Institute of Physics, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil) for SEM analysis; and the Central Analítica/Institute of Chemistry/Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil) for X-ray diffraction analysis. Notes EO: essential oil; G: gum arabic; M: maltodextrin DE 4-7; Temp.: temperature. a Parameter evaluated. a IK: Kovats index; Sesq.: sesquiterpenos; EO: essential oil. b V/w Volume/weight%. a Results are expressed as mean ± SD (standard deviation) of triplicate measurements. b Drying process 5 (inlet temperature: 160°C).