Skip to content
Log in
Sponsored AI Networking Cookbook: Practical recipes for AI-assisted network automation and development AI Networking Cookbook: Practical recipes for AI-assisted network automation and development

Similar papers

Aug 2026

Curdlan as a heat-irreversible gel wall material in electrostatic spray-dried solid/oil/water probiotic microcapsules: Thermal resistance and storage stability.

In this study, to develop a robust probiotic delivery system, high molecular weight 1,3-β-D-glucan curdlan gum (CUR) was employed as a functional wall material. It was combined with whey protein isolate and high oleic sunflower oil to prepare solid/oil/water (S/O/W) emulsion microcapsules using electrostatic spray drying (ESD) technology. Additionally, pectin and high oleic sunflower oil were utilized as functional wall materials. All the microcapsules exhibited low water content (3.66%-5.04%) and water activity (aw 0.178-0.230), which is beneficial for long-term storage stability. Following drying, the survival rate of probiotics in each treatment group exceeded 90%. It is worth noting that the microcapsules containing 5% CUR exhibit the most effective overall protective effect: following heat treatments of 63 °C for 30 min and 75 °C for 10 min, the loss of viable bacteria was only 1.18 and 1.39 Log CFU/g, respectively. After 12 weeks of storage at 4 °C and 25 °C, the survival rates were maintained at 93% and 66%, respectively. Its excellent performance is attributed to the fact that CUR can form a dense gel network structure at high temperatures, which effectively blocks heat transfer and oxygen penetration. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed that microcapsules containing 5% CUR form a relatively dense physical barrier and maintain structural integrity. The above results demonstrate that incorporating CUR into a S/O/W emulsion system, combined with ESD technology, is a promising strategy for wall materials to enhance the thermal tolerance and shelf-life stability of probiotic microcapsules.

Xiaobing Liu, Zhiqiang Liang, Jiarui Li et al. · 0 citations
Oct 2026

Formulation and characterization of a corn starch-soy protein isolate coacervate for encapsulation of fennel essential oil and its application in the pre-velveting of chicken cubes.

Pre-velveting foods suffer from significant flavor loss and limited shelf life during storage, motivating a demand for multifunctional starch-based carriers. To address this, corn starch (CS)-soy protein isolate (SPI) coacervates with varying CS ratios were fabricated to encapsulate fennel essential oil (FEO), yielding a pre-velveting material with antimicrobial and flavor-enhancing properties. Results indicated that higher CS/SPI ratios (4,1 and 5,1) enhanced viscoelasticity and reduced particle size by forming a dense polysaccharide-protein network that inhibited FEO aggregation compared with the lower ratios. The resulting microcapsules (CSSP4 and CSSP5) similarly demonstrated improved DPPH radical scavenging capacity (59.49% and 56.15%, respectively) and enhanced thermal stability. SEM and XRD confirmed increased cross-linking of CS upon coacervation with SPI, which provided the basis for the improved encapsulation efficiency of FEO via the dense structure, while FTIR and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that this structure was primarily driven by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between CS and SPI, and the starch-protein interface was visualized. Electronic nose combined with GC-MS analyses identified anethole as the primary flavor compound of FEO microcapsules and showed that the stable structure delayed its release, with CSSP4 exhibiting the slowest release due to its higher density. Furthermore, among all formulations, CSSP4 showed the lowest TBARS values and pH increase, as well as the most favorable volatile profile and improved textural properties in cooked chicken cubes. This study presents a novel starch-based carrier designed to improve flavor retention and extend the shelf life of pre-velveting foods.

Hengpeng Wang, Yang Meng, Yiwei Jin et al. · 0 citations
Open access Aug 2026

Protease-assisted microencapsulation of carvacrol in pea protein systems for enhanced and durable antibiofilm activity

Developing dry antimicrobial delivery systems that combine bioactive protection with biofilm-matrix disruption remains a major challenge. Building on a previously established protease-modulated pea protein isolate (PPI)-carvacrol nanoemulsion system, this study developed protease-assisted microcapsules designed to preserve carvacrol and promote the removal of preformed biofilms. Carvacrol-loaded nanoemulsions were prepared at pH 3.5, 7.0, and 10.0 and supplemented with pepsin or trypsin before spray-drying or freeze-drying with maltodextrin. Protease-specific interfacial modification markedly affected emulsion stability, powder structure, and encapsulation performance. At pH 7.0 and 10.0, trypsin reduced droplet size from 284.60 to 232.52 nm and from 149.13 to 140.38 nm, respectively. The resulting spray-dried microcapsules exhibited high encapsulation efficiency (>96%) and low surface carvacrol contents (0.95–1.24 mg/g). In contrast, pepsin caused pronounced destabilization under acidic conditions, particularly after freeze-drying, yielding porous powders with an encapsulation efficiency of 48.18% and a surface carvacrol content of 69.51 mg/g. Trypsin-assisted microcapsules achieved 90–99% removal of preformed Listeria innocua biofilm biomass within 1 h, whereas enzyme-free and pepsin-containing formulations generally remained below 40%. Microscopic observations confirmed extensive disruption and detachment of the biofilm structure. After one year at 4 °C, trypsin-loaded formulations retained high biofilm biomass removal activity (85–99% after 2 h). These findings demonstrate that protease-assisted microencapsulation can couple interfacial regulation during particle formation with enzyme-mediated biofilm-matrix disruption after rehydration, providing a sustainable carvacrol delivery platform with durable antibiofilm functionality.

Jun Ji, N. Chihib, Géraldine Agusti et al. · 0 citations
Open access Jul 2026

Spray-Dried Microencapsulation Improves Stability and Bioaccessibility of Microbial Carotenoids Applied in Gelatin Gummies

Carotenoids are natural pigments with provitamin A activity and antioxidant properties; however, their application in foods is limited by their high sensitivity to light, oxygen, and temperature, resulting in low stability and carotenoid release during simulated digestion. In addition, information regarding the use of microbial carotenoids in confectionery products remains scarce. Therefore, this study investigated the stabilization of carotenoids produced by Sporidiobolus salmonicolor CBS 2636 through spray-drying microencapsulation and their application in gelatin gummies. The extract was characterized for carotenoid content, provitamin A activity, antioxidant capacity, and in vitro toxicity. Spray drying was carried out using gum arabic, inulin, and starch (1:1:1, w/w) as wall materials at 130 °C, yielding microparticles with 5.5% moisture and 0.126 water activity. Stability tests under different packaging conditions revealed that vacuum-packed BOPP provided the highest protection, maintaining approximately 50% of carotenoids after 100 days at 20 ± 2 °C. Gummies containing 6% (w/w) microparticles were evaluated for physicochemical properties and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion during storage. The optimized formulation (F5; 0.25% sodium benzoate and 0.5% sodium lactate) showed the highest carotenoid stability and color retention. Carotenoid retention remained at 89% after 3 h of intestinal digestion, indicating delayed release and protection during the initial digestive stages. These findings demonstrate that spray-drying microencapsulation combined with a ternary wall-material system is an effective strategy to enhance the stability and availability of microbial carotenoids. Furthermore, this study expands the application of microbial pigments in confectionery products, representing a promising alternative to synthetic colorants and contributing to the development of value-added foods.

Patrícia Griep, Naiara Hollerwerger, Lucas Henrique do Nascimento et al. · 0 citations
Open access Jul 2026

Influence of Gum Arabic and Maltodextrin on the Performance of Biopolymer Microencapsulation for Tithonia diversifolia Extract: Efficiency and Release Kinetics

Sustainable biopolymer-based carriers are increasingly utilized to protect phytochemicals and control their release. This study compares gum Arabic (GA) and maltodextrin (MD) as wall materials for spray-dried microencapsulation of Tithonia diversifolia leaf extract. Optimal conditions differed for each polymer: GA microcapsules at 4% w/v (90 min stirring time at pH 5) with %EE 80.3% and MD microcapsules at 0.8% w/v (90 min stirring time at pH 5) with %EE 73.9%. This efficiency was mirrored in antioxidant retention, where GA microcapsules exhibited a lower DPPH IC50 value (117.4 µg/mL) compared to MD (138.1 µg/mL). In vitro release tests demonstrated distinct pH-responsive kinetics, GA showed higher cumulative release in both simulated gastric (43%) and intestinal (96%) compared to MD in simulated gastric (30%) and intestinal (80%). SEM analysis revealed oval, slightly corrugated GA microcapsules, whereas MD microcapsules displayed semi-spherical morphologies with surface fissures. FTIR spectra confirmed stronger matrix-core interactions in GA microcapsules than in MD. These findings demonstrate that biopolymer wall material selection critically influences encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant stability, and pH-responsive release behavior. GA microcapsules is identified as the more effective and pH-responsive matrix for developing functional food or phytopharmaceutical delivery systems.

Nabila Almayda, Sri Wardhani, M. Masruri et al. · 0 citations
Jul 2026

Preparation and application of bio-based degradable films loaded with Litsea Cubeba essential oil microcapsules for the preservation of refrigerated sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus).

This study developed Litsea cubeba essential oil (LCEO) microcapsules (LWM) incorporated into chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol (CP) films to create active composite packaging (CPM), with their physicochemical properties and preservative effects on refrigerated sea bass systematically evaluated. SEM confirmed that LCEO was effectively encapsulated within whey protein isolate-maltodextrin (WPI-MD) wall materials, forming stable microcapsule structures. Furthermore, incorporating 0.8% LWM significantly enhanced film performance, increasing tensile strength by 101.2% and reducing oxygen transmission rate by 58.4%, while providing superior sustained-release properties with a 35.7% lower LCEO release rate than the control. Moreover, CPM films exhibited strong antioxidant and antibacterial activities, along with excellent biodegradability. Preservation experiments proved that the CPM composite film successfully increased the first-grade freshness by 3 d and the shelf-life by 6 d. Therefore, this work provides a promising approach for developing bio-based active packaging to maintain the quality and extend the shelf-life of perishable seafood.

Shuting Liu, Jing Xie, Weiqing Lan · 0 citations

We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads. See our Cookie Policy.