Optimization of chitosan for microencapsulation of flaxseed oil through spray drying.

The study is aimed to characterize the wall material chitosan in combination with maltodextrin for microencapsulation of flaxseed oil to enhance the delivery of polyunsaturated fatty acids in functional foods. Four formulations of water-based oil emulsions containing flaxseed oil were prepared, homogenized, and analyzed in terms of stability and viscosity. Resulting emulsions were spray dried and further evaluated physicochemically. Results revealed that total moisture content of spray dried microcapsules was in range of 3.1 ± 0.01-3.32 ± 0.04, while highest microencapsulation efficiency found for spray dried powder was 88.8 ± 1.45. Peroxide and anisidine value revealed high oxidative stability of dried powders during storage at room temperature as compared to bulk FO. Among the four formulations, formulation 3 was found to be highly efficient with high encapsulation efficiency and lower PV (3.93 ± 0.13) and AV (2.93 ± 0.21) value. Fatty acid profile was stable after 30 days and slight change observed in composition. Formulations with different concentration of chitosan has significant (p <0.05) impact on emulsion properties and oxidative stability values. It is concluded that spray dried flaxseed oil microcapsules prepared using chitosan as coating material enhance the stability and delivery of omega-3 fatty acids.