Physical Properties of Bacterial Nanocellulose as an Encapsulant Material of Vitamin B12

This study presents a comprehensive comparison of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) and maltodextrin (MDX) as encapsulating agents for vitamin B12, using spray drying. The research focuses on the physical powder characteristics, such as flowability and cohesion, which are critical for industrial applications. The encapsulation of vitamin B12 was confirmed by ATR-FTIR analysis, which showed characteristic band shifts at 2138 cm^-1 indicating interaction between the vitamin and the encapsulant matrices. Powder flow analysis revealed that BNC-based powders exhibited lower cohesion (CI = 13.3) and better flowability compared to MDX-based powders (CI = 7.7-13.7). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that all powders consisted of micrometric spherical particles ranging from 2 to 8 µm, with BNC producing particles with a more defined and less agglomerated structure. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that both matrices enhanced the thermal stability of vitamin B12, with BNC increasing the degradation onset temperature from 200 °C to 260 °C and the maximum degradation temperature from 274 °C to 317 °C providing a slightly higher onset degradation temperature. The results suggest that BNC is a promising alternative to traditional encapsulants like maltodextrin, offering up to 43 °C higher thermal protection and improved physical properties for encapsulating thermosensitive compounds in dietary applications.