Study of microencapsulation of turmeric oleoresin in blends of gelatin/modified starch

• Grant number: 10/02594-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2010
• End date: April 30, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Vânia Regina Nicoletti Telis
• Grantee: Renata de Almeida Teixeira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The microencapsulation, in food industry, is a process in which one or more ingredients or additives are covered by an extremely small and edible capsule. This technique may solve problems related to limitations in the applicability of food ingredients, such as in the case of the turmeric oleoresin that, although presenting several advantages over powdered curcumin, is sensible to light, heat, oxygen, and pH variations, as well as being immiscible with water. The encapsulation method is based in the preparation of an emulsion containing the material to be encapsulated and the encapsulant agent, followed by drying of this emulsion. This work will be carried out with the objective of studying the formation of emulsions of turmeric oleoresin in blends of gelatin/modified starch aiming the posterior encapsulation by freeze-drying. The effects of different proportions of gelatin/modified starch in the formulation of the wall material, as well as the effects of varying cooling rates of the dispersions after the homogenization step on the pigment encapsulation efficiency will be studied.