Integral Use of Chia Seeds in Microencapsulation Processes for the Development of Oil-Based Potential Functional Food...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Nutritional Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Chia seeds offer valuable oil and protein components.
• Developing functional food ingredients requires effective encapsulation methods.
• Seed-derived proteins and mucilage present novel wall materials for microencapsulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To microencapsulate chia oil using seed-derived proteins and mucilage.
• To evaluate the impact of spray-drying versus freeze-drying on microparticle properties.
• To assess the physicochemical, structural, and functional characteristics of the resulting chia oil microparticles.

Main Methods:

• Formulation of oil-in-water emulsions with chia oil, proteins, and mucilage.
• Drying of emulsions using spray-drying and freeze-drying techniques.
• Characterization of microparticles including encapsulation efficiency, structure (SEM), dispersibility, and oxidative stability.

Main Results:

• Both drying methods yielded microparticles with high encapsulation efficiency (~91%) and protein content.
• Freeze-dried particles exhibited lamellar structures and superior oxidative stability, preserving alpha-linolenic acid.
• Spray-dried particles showed spherical structures, better dispersibility, and instant properties, but lower stability.

Conclusions:

• Seed-derived proteins and mucilage are effective wall materials for chia oil encapsulation.
• Freeze-drying is advantageous for preserving the nutritional quality (oxidative stability, fatty acid content) of chia oil microparticles.
• Freeze-dried microparticles show potential for functional beverages, though sensory attributes require further optimization.