Study of Complex Coacervation of Gelatin A with Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose: Microencapsulation of Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) Seed Oil (NSO)

Abstract The efficiency of complex coacervation of gelatin A with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (SCMC) was measured by checking viscosity, coacervate yield (%), and turbidity of the mixture. Maximum coacervation occurred at pH 3.5 and SCMC: gelatin ratio of 1.0: 2.33. Encapsulation efficiency, oil content, oil load, and release behavior of the microcapsules were studied. The size and nature of the microcapsules varied with the concentration of polymer and NSO as revealed by scanning electron microscopy study. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that there was no significant interaction between the polymer and NSO. Keywords: characterizationcomplex coacervationcrosslinking agentmicroencapsulationneem seed oil Acknowledgments Financial assistance in the form of a fellowship to one of the authors (ND) by Tezpur University is gratefully acknowledged. Notes [Gelatin: 0.5–4.0 g; SCMC: 0.214–1.714 g; water: 200 ml; NSO: 1.5–7.0 g; glutaraldedyde: 5.0 − 20.0 mmol; temperature: 45 ± 1°C].