Hydrophobic derivatives of guar gum hydrolyzate and gum Arabic as matrices for microencapsulation of mint oil.

Guar gum hydrolyzate (GGH) modified with n-octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) and oleic acid having induced hydrophobicity was evaluated for encapsulation of mint oil and compared with gum Arabic (GA) and GA-OSA as wall material. Spray dried microcapsules prepared with these wall materials were evaluated for qualitative changes by principal component analysis and for percent retention of mint oil during 8-week storage. Results revealed that microcapsules with GGH-OSA and GGH-oleate showed slightly lower retention of mint oil as compared to GA. GA-OSA microcapsules showed better retention of mint oil than GA itself, as observed from the t1/2, the time required for the mint oil to come down to 50% of its original content. The t1/2 of mint oil in microcapsules of GA, GGH-oleate, GGH-OSA and GA-OSA was 26.12, 23.50, 24.11 and 29.67 weeks, respectively. The results suggested that GGH-OSA has the potential to replace gum Arabic for encapsulation of mint oil.