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Microencapsulation in food science and biotechnology

Filomena Nazzaro1, Pierangelo Orlando2, Florinda Fratianni1 and
Raffaele Coppola1

Microencapsulation can represent an excellent example of involves the incorporation of natural ingredients, poly-
microtechnologies applied to food science and biotechnology. phenols, volatile additives, enzymes, bacteria (i.e. lactic
Microencapsulation can be successfully applied to entrap acid bacteria acting as starters or probiotics) in small
natural compounds, like essential oils or vegetal extracts capsules, giving them the chance to be stable, protected
containing polyphenols with well known antimicrobial and preserved against nutritional and health loss and to
properties to be used in food packaging. Microencapsulation eventually act as antimicrobial agents. The matrices in
preserves lactic acid bacteria, both starters and probiotics, in contact with food are generally natural components, but
food and during the passage through the gastrointestinal tract, mainly they must be Generally Recognised As Safe
and may contribute to the development of new functional (GRAS) for human health.
foods.
Addresses Microencapsulation of bioactive components is per-
1
Istituto di Scienze dell’Alimentazione, ISA-CNR, Via Roma 64, 83100, formed through use of different materials, for example
Avellino, Italy
2
water and oil. A usual water-oil-water emulsion is formed
Istituto di Biochimica delle Proteine, IBP-CNR, Via P. Castellino, 121, with small water droplets, dispersed in large oil droplets,
80134, Napoli, Italy
themselves dispersed in an outer aqueous phase. The
Corresponding author: Nazzaro, Filomena ([email protected]) functional component can be encapsulated within the
inner phase, the oil phase or the outer water phase after
drying; thus, a single delivery system can contain multiple
Current Opinion in Biotechnology 2012, 23:182–186 functional components.
This review comes from a themed issue on
Food biotechnology Micro-emulsions, with droplets sizes less than 500 nm
Edited by Gabriella Gazzani and Michael Grusak diameter, are produced by micro-fluidization or micelle
formation techniques. ME can be successfully applied to
Available online 22nd October 2011
entrap natural compounds, like essential oils (EOs) or
0958-1669/$ – see front matter vegetal extracts containing polyphenols with well known
# 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. antimicrobial properties. This aspect represents an
DOI 10.1016/j.copbio.2011.10.001
important starting point for industries, which can try
out new natural and safe materials or systems of packa-
ging capable to prolong the shelf life of foods, such as
highly perishable fresh foods (vegetables, fruits, meat,
Microencapsulation: principles and use with etc.), without lessening their characteristics in terms of
natural ingredients quality and hygiene. ME can be considered as a real
Microencapsulation (ME) is the envelopment of small resource for food packaging also to mask unpleasant
solid particles, liquid droplets or gases in a coating flavors and odors, or to supply barriers between the
(1–1000 mm). In general, one can differentiate between sensitive bioactive materials and the environment
mononuclear capsules, which have one core enveloped by (represented by food or oxygen). Many of the EOs have
a shell, and aggregates, which have many cores embedded antimicrobial properties against several foodborne patho-
in a matrix, usually polymers (Figure 1). The develop- gens and can be potentially used in different food
ment of a successful encapsulation system for a target matrices, including meat products [3,4]. However, limits
application is based on the need of a good knowledge to their use are linked to the aroma that can be unpleasant
about the stability of the chosen component, biomole- for consumers, or having poor water solubility and
cules or cells, to be encapsulated (core), the properties of volatility.
the materials used for encapsulation (encapsulant matrix)
and the suitability of the delivery system (microcapsule) Encapsulation makes it possible to increase the effec-
for its ultimate application [1]. The most available tech- tiveness of EOs and to decrease their sensory impact on
nologies for microencapsulation use a liquid (complex foods. Microencapsulation of EOs is generally achieved in
coacervation, interfacial and in situ polymerization or two steps. Firstly, an emulsion of the volatile compound is
solvent evaporation from emulsions) or a gas as suspend- made in an aqueous dispersion of a wall material which
ing medium (spray-drying or spray-cooling, fluidized-bed also functions as the emulsifier. Then, the microencap-
coating or co-extrusion) [2]. ME has an evident impact on sulated emulsion must be dried under controlled con-
the food industry. In food science and biotechnology, it ditions so as to diminish the loss of the encapsulated

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 Microencapsulation in food science Nazzaro et al. 183

Figure 1 Figure 2

Rosemary extract
entrappedin PVA
Polyphenols

Negative
control
re
co
Ou
te Pure
rm
at Rosemary
rix extract

Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Example of a multilayer matrix used to entrap polyphenols.

Antimicrobial activity exhibited by rosemary extract at different
percentage entrapped in PVA, against the toxinogenic strain E. coli DSM
8579. No activity was observed using only PVA matrix (negative control)
material by volatilization [5]. Encapsulation of rosemary or only the pure form of rosemary extract at the same amount (from A.
EO has proven to have a more effective antimicrobial Ottombrino, F. Fratianni and F. Nazzaro, Biomicroworld 2011).
activity than rosemary EO alone against L. monocytogenes
in pork liver sausage [6]. Eugenol and carvacrol encapsu-
lated in micelles of non-ionic surfactant are highly effec- might be one of the most promising materials. PVA, a
tive against L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157: H7, thanks highly polar, nontoxic, water-soluble synthetic polymer
to the greater amount of antimicrobial compound exposed prepared by the hydrolysis of polyvinyl acetate, is used in
to the surface of the bacteria when presented in this form polymer blends with natural polymeric materials.
[7,8]. Microencapsulated EOs also have been success- Furthermore it is utilized for a variety of biomedical
fully assessed against E. coli O157:H7 inoculated in applications [14], because of its inherent non-toxicity,
refrigerated, chopped beef packed under nitrogen [9]. non-carcinogenicity, good biocompatibility and desirable
physical properties, in addition to excellent film forming
Polyphenols play a well known essential role in food properties. PVA has been recently used to entrap a hydro-
quality and safety, as well as for human health. In food alcoholic extract obtained from rosemary that is used as an
science, their stabilization could be improved using antimicrobial agent against different foodborne patho-
encapsulation and spray drying, which could protect them gens like E. coli [14,15] (Figure 2). The excellent results
against oxygen, water or any condition that could affect suggest its suitability of use in food packaging, to prolong
their stability [10]. Different encapsulating agents are the shelf life of highly perishable fresh foods, thereby
used for spray drying: polysaccharides (starch, maltodex- enhancing their quality and safety (Nazzaro et al., unpub-
trins, corn syrups and gum arabic), lipids (stearic acid, lished data).
mono and diglycerides), and proteins (gelatin, casein,
milk serum, soy and wheat) [11]. Maltodextrins, the Microencapsulation of bacteria
most common used materials for ME, are obtained by In food biotechnology, ME can be also used to entrap or
an acidic hydrolysis of several starches (corn, potato or enclose microorganisms by segregating them from the
others). In general, maltodextrins have high solubility in external environment with a coating of hydrocolloids,
water, low viscosity, bland flavor and colorless solutions such that the cells are released in the appropriate gut
[11]. An interesting possible encapsulation agent is inu- compartment at the right time. The technology protects
lin, which owing to its nutritive and prebiotic properties lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in food and during the passage
[12,13] would also render ME as helpful in the ideation through the gastrointestinal tract [16,17,18,19,20]; other
and development of functional foods. advantages include prevention of interfacial inactivation,
stimulation of production and excretion of secondary
The limited range of suitable encapsulant materials metabolites, and continuous utilization. Additionally,
allowed for food use is still the main challenge in material ME may enhance microbial survival and operating effi-
selection, especially when more complex properties are ciency during fermentation [21]. Generally, LAB present
required by food manufacturers and consumers. New two sets of problems: their size, which immediately
generations of encapsulating systems are continuously excludes nanotechnologies, and the fact that they must
emerging for food applications. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) be kept alive [22]. Viability of encapsulated cells is

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184 Food biotechnology

affected by the physico-chemical properties of the cap- Spray drying involves atomization of a suspension of
sules: type and concentration of the coating material, probiotics and carrier material into a drying gas, giving
particle size, initial cell numbers and bacterial strains rise to a rapid evaporation of water. Spray-drying pre-
are some of the parameters to be considered [23]. conditions the cells so that they can be better stress-
adapted to subsequent environmentally adverse con-
The main purpose of probiotic encapsulation is to protect ditions, such as high temperatures, acidic environment,
cells against an unfavourable environment, and to allow or presence of bile salts. However, despite these advan-
their release in a viable and metabolically active state in tages, the high temperatures needed to facilitate water
the intestine [24]. Microparticles should be water-inso- evaporation also lower the viability of the probiotics and
luble to maintain their structural integrity in the food reduce their activity in the final product.
matrix and in the upper part of the GI tract; above all,
particle properties should allow progressive liberation of Spray chilling involves the dispersion of the core material
the cells during the intestinal phase [24,25]. For ME of into a warm coating material and the subsequent spraying
microorganisms, the most used polymers (all natural, through a heated nozzle into a controlled environment,
inexpensive, biocompatible and GRAS) are chitosan where the encapsulant solidifies to form the microcapsule
(obtained from arthropods), alginate (a polymer particles [27]. The process is performed in equipment
extracted from seaweed), carrageenan, whey proteins, similar to that used in spray drying except that the process
pectin, poly-l-lysine, and starch. Different types of starch air is not heated.
and modified starches have been tested as entrapping
agents of probiotics [26]; unfortunately, in some cases, Sometimes, microcapsules have a certain number of
the low pH and the presence of proteases, two of the particles located at their surface. This type of microen-
conditions commonly experienced by probiotic organ- capsulation is known as matrix encapsulation, and often
isms during their passage through the stomach, diminish provides more protection during spray drying and storage
their adhesion to starch [27]. Resistant starch is not of probiotics, as well as during their passage through the
degraded by the pancreatic amylase and arrives at the stomach [27].
intestine in an indigestible form. This provides a good
release of bacterial cells in the large intestine and offers The size of the microcapsules is an important parameter
them prebiotic functionality [28]. The materials are that affects the sensory properties of foods. The size of
used alone (monolayer) or in combination: in this last alginate beads ranges from 20 mm to 4 mm. However, a
case, coating the microcapsules with an additional film bead size of 150 mm can be obtained with the new
can avoid their exposure to oxygen during storage and can extrusion technologies, thereby allowing the achieve-
enhance their stability at low pH. For example, one of the ment of more uniformly shaped microcapsules than those
most common double (or triple) layer strategy is reached through the emulsion technique. Spray drying
represented by an inner layer of alginate, containing produces capsule sizes ranging between 5 and 80 mm.
the entrapped microorganisms, then covered by a mono- Bead size also affects the adhesion property of probiotics,
layer of chitosan that might be eventually contained in a and is optimal with granules of starch that are 50 mm in
further outer layer of alginate, chitosan or other polymer diameter [27,28,29,36–37].
[29–31]. Chitosan-coated alginate beads give better pro-
tection in simulated gastric conditions than other outer Co-encapsulation of microorganisms and other important
coating films [27,32]. components like prebiotics protects probiotics in food
systems and in the gastrointestinal tract much better,
Different techniques are used in microencapsulation of owing to synbiosis [38–40]. To date, dairy-based products
probiotics: coacervation, emulsion, extrusion, spray-dry- have emerged as the main carriers for the delivery of
ing, and gel-particle technologies (including spray-chil- probiotics to humans [18]. However, increasing demand
ling). Coacervation is a fluid–fluid phase separation of an by consumers has opened a trend in using nondairy-based
aqueous polymeric solution, where a change in pH products as potential carriers of probiotics. Most of the
enables the formation of the shell by the polymer com- foods containing probiotic microorganisms are found in
plex. Microcapsules are then dried by spray-drying or the refrigerated section of supermarkets; this being owing
freeze-drying [33,34]. When using the emulsion tech- to the fact that the bacteria are sensitive and can be
nique [35], the encapsulating material is added to the destroyed by heat.
bacterial cells; then, the mixture is suspended in an oil
bath containing Tween 80 (acting as emulsifier). The Research is ongoing to develop new envelopes, especially
emulsion is then broken by adding CaCl2 and microcap- formed by double or triple layers of alginate-chitosan, that
sules are collected by centrifugation. For extrusion, pro- allow a better resistance of bacteria to heat (e.g. to
biotics are added to a hydrocolloid solution, then the pasteurization). Ding and Shah [25] demonstrated, in
solution is dripped through a syringe needle or nozzle fact, that the heat tolerance of microencapsulated pro-
[27], which influences the size of microcapsules. biotic bacteria incubated at 65 8C for up to 1 h survived at

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 Microencapsulation in food science Nazzaro et al. 185

Figure 3 frontiers in the use of ME in food industry. Fratianni et al.

[46] used the microencapsulated L. acidophilus to fer-
ment a fruit juice (berry + grape). The strain not only was
capable to grow in fruit juice and ferment it, creating a
new functional product but, after fermentation, micro-
capsules exhibited a noticeable microbial viability and an
1 mm amount of anthocyanins similar to that present in a litre of
red wine (Figure 3). One of the increasing interests in the
future will concern mainly the use of new probiotic/
prebiotic combinations. Special attention is needed to
design future carrier matrices and technology, to keep
pace with the increasing consumer interest in health
Current Opinion in Biotechnology issues, food safety and environmental consciousness.

Lactobacillus acidophilus microencapsulated in References and recommended reading

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encapsulated in chitosan-coated alginate beads in yoghurt A good example of a new functional formulation.

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