Low-temperature microencapsulation of sesame oil using fluidized bed granulation

Top spray-drying method is frequently utilized for flavor encapsulation, but the top spray-dried products frequently suffer from high losses of volatile flavor as the result of a high processing temperature (150-300°C). In an effort to solve these problems, a low-temperature fluidized-bed granulating method was utilized to encapsulate the flavor. For the encapsulation of sesame oil, oil-in-water emulsions of sesame oil and a mixture of maltodextrin, modified starch, gum arabic, and gellan gum were bottom-sprayed at milder temperatures (70-100°C) using a fluidized-bed granulator. Sesame oil extracts from microcapsules were obtained via a simultaneous distillation/extraction technique, and the retention of volatile flavor compounds was analyzed via a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The retention of volatile flavors of sesame oil per se, spray-dried and fluidized-bed granulated microcapsules after 3-day-storage at 37°C were 0.8%, 37.2%, and 42.0%, respectively. In addition, the low-temperature fluidized-bed granulation showed higher encapsulation yield and sensory preferences for the application of commercial products (beef rice porridge), as compared to spray drying.