Alginate/cashew gum nanoparticles for essential oil encapsulation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Biopolymer blends offer novel matrices for encapsulating active compounds.
• Alginate and cashew gum are biocompatible polysaccharides with potential for nanoparticle formulation.
• Essential oils require effective delivery systems to preserve their bioactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize alginate/cashew gum nanoparticles for essential oil encapsulation.
• To evaluate the encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release profile of the essential oil.
• To investigate the release kinetics and structural properties of the developed nanoparticles.

Main Methods:

• Nanoparticles were synthesized using spray-drying technique.
• Characterization involved dynamic light scattering (hydrodynamic size), zeta potential measurements, FT-IR, TGA/DSC, and X-ray diffractometry.
• In vitro release studies and kinetic analysis (Korsmeyer-Peppas model) were performed.

Main Results:

• Nanoparticles exhibited sizes between 223-399 nm with negative surface charges (-30 to -36 mV).
• Encapsulation efficiency reached up to 55%, with encapsulated oil content ranging from 1.9 to 4.4%.
• In vitro release showed 45-95% oil release within 30-50 hours, following a Korsmeyer-Peppas release mechanism.

Conclusions:

• Alginate/cashew gum blend is a viable system for essential oil encapsulation via spray-drying.
• The nanoparticles demonstrate controlled release properties suitable for various applications.
• The study provides insights into the structural and release characteristics of these novel biopolymer nanoparticles.