Preparation of β-ionone microcapsules by gelatin/pectin complex coacervation

β-ionone has a unique violet odor and good biological activity, which is an essential fragrance component and potential anticancer drug. In this paper, β-ionone was encapsulated using complex coacervation of gelatin and pectin, followed by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde. The pH value, wall material concentration, core-wall ratio, homogenization conditions, and curing agent content were investigated in the single-factor experiments. For example, the encapsulation efficiency increased with the homogenization speed, which reached a relatively high value at 13000 r/min for 5 min. The gelatin/pectin ratio (3:1, w/w) and pH value (4.23) significantly affected the size, shape, and encapsulation efficiency of the microcapsule. The fluorescence microscope and SEM were used to characterize the morphology of the microcapsules, in which the microcapsule has a stable morphology, uniform size, and spherical multinuclear structure. FTIR measurements confirmed the electrostatic interactions between gelatin and pectin during complex coacervation. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the microcapsules could maintain good thermal stability over 260 °C. The release rate of β-ionone microcapsule was only 20.6 % after 30 days at the low temperature of 4 °C. These findings provide an effective carrier to deliver flavors like β-ionone and could be useful in the fields of daily chemicals and textiles.