Abstract: In this paper, microcapsules containing lycopene were prepared by the complex coacervation method with soybean protein isolate (SPI) and chitosan (Ch) as wall material and the effects of the addition of various amounts of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on the encapsulation efficiency and properties of microcapsules were investigated. The results indicated that microcapsules with good dispersibility and an angle of repose of 50o were obtained with addition of 20 mg/mL CMC, which demonstrated reduced particle size and ζ potential and sharply increased microcapsule yield and encapsulation efficiency of 64.3% and 74.2% along with a release rate of 12.0% compared with those without CMC. Thus, addition of CMC to the reaction system could increase the dispersibility, flowability, microcapsule yield and microencapsulation efficiency, and reduce the particle size, ζ potential and lycopene release rate in acidic medium of microcapsules in a dosedependent manner. Meanwhile, added CMC enhanced the stability of microcapsules upon exposure to 100 ℃. To conclude, addition of CMC to SPI-Ch coacervation system could greatly improve the processing performance of the resultant lycopene microcapsules. This study may lay a theoretical foundation for extending the applicability of lycopene in the food industry.

Key words: lycopene, complex coacervation, microcapsule, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, dispersibility