FOOD SCIENCE ›› 2019, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (16): 242-248.doi: 10.7506/spkx1002-6630-20181010-077

• Process and Technology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Preparation, Characterization and in Vitro Release Characteristics of Sustained-Release Chitosan Microcapsules Containing Tea Tree Oil

LONG Men, FENG Chao, LI Yongjia, WANG Xuhai, CAI Huazhen, ZHAN Ge   

  1. Chuzhou Food Processing Institute, Anhui Heat-sensitive Materials Processing Engineering Technology Research Center, College of Biological and Food Engineering, Chuzhou College, Chuzhou 239000, China
  • Online:2019-08-25 Published:2019-08-26

Abstract: In this experiment, chitosan (CS) microcapsules containing tea tree oil (TTO) were prepared using sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as the crosslinking agent by the ionic gelation method. The structure, functional properties and release profiles in different food model systems of the microcapsules were analyzed. The results showed that the encapsulation efficiency was strikingly affected by TTO concentration and mass ratio between CS and TPP. The optimized values of the two parameters were 11.30 mg/mL and 5.3:1, respectively, which resulted in a minimum particle size of (0.74 ± 0.03) μm and a maximum encapsulation efficiency of (53.15 ± 0.32)%. The particle size of the microcapsules obtained under these conditions was normally distributed in the range of 0.2–2.3 μm, and the stability of TTO was significantly improved by the encapsulation. The antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of the microcapsules were more stable for 15 d than TTO. In different food model systems, the microcapsule powder was rapidly released, and reached a stable sate after 30 minutes. Therefore, this process can be used for microencapsulation of tea tree oil to improve its stability.

Key words: tea tree oil, microencapsulation, structural characterization, antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, release profile

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