Special Issue on Emerging Technologies in Food Science: Advances in Microencapsulation

This Special Issue was dedicated to “Emerging Technologies in Food Science: Advances in Microencapsulation”; it brought together six articles pertaining to a very diverse spectrum of topics. The Special Issue began with a review of the latest microencapsulation techniques used in protecting anthocyanins in the article “Microencapsulation of Anthocyanins—Critical Review of Techniques and Wall Materials” [1], which thoroughly examined the chemical structure of anthocyanins and the principles, benefits and drawbacks of various microencapsulation methods, including spray drying, freeze drying, electrospinning/electrospraying, inclusion complexes, emulsification, liposomal systems, ionic gelation and coacervation. In addition, wall materials used in various techniques were discussed, as well as parameters affecting the encapsulation efficiency of powders and their physicochemical properties.

Another article dealt with polysaccharides, specifically, the “Synthesis of Starch Nanoparticles and Their Applications for Bioactive Compound Encapsulation” [2], in which the authors addressed the topic of starch nanoparticles (SNPs) gaining increasing attention due to their unique properties as a sustainable alternative to commonly used nanomaterials, due to being natural, renewable and biodegradable. SNPs can be obtained by breaking down starch granules using a variety of techniques that include both physical and chemical methods. The final properties of SNPs strongly depend on the synthesis method used, as well as the operational conditions, where a controlled and monodispersed size is crucial for some bioapplications.

Subsequently, the team from the Warsaw University of Life Sciences from Poland developed a paper entitled the “Quality Assessment of Honey Powders Obtained by High- and Low-Temperature Spray Drying” [3], in which they compared the quality of rapeseed and honeydew honey powders obtained with two spray drying methods—the traditional high-temperature method (180 °C inlet air) and the innovative low-temperature method using dried air as the drying agent (75 °C inlet air). The results showed that the production method had a greater effect on the final properties of the powders than the type of honey.

The same group of authors prepared a second paper entitled the “Dehumidified-Air-Assisted Spray Drying of Buckwheat Honey with Maltodextrin and Skim Milk Powder as Carriers” [4], which continued the idea of investigating the efficiency of the process and the physicochemical properties of buckwheat honey with a reduced carrier content. The honey was spray-dried conventionally and at a low drying temperature using dehumidified air with maltodextrin as the traditional carrier or, alternatively, with skim milk powder. The industrial application of this method must be carefully analyzed for its advantages, since energy consumption is much higher than in conventional spray drying.

A very interesting article, the “Microencapsulation of Peppermint Oil by Complex Coacervation and Subsequent Spray Drying Using Bovine Serum Albumin/Gum Acacia and an Oxidized Starch Crosslinker”, was developed by a Norwegian team [5], where peppermint essential oil was microencapsulated with complex coacervation using a combination of bovine serum albumin and gum acacia as wall materials. The microencapsulation performance analyzed with GC-MS showed no loss of peppermint oil during or after complex coacervation, and a 54% loss after spray drying for the best combination of polymer-to-oil ratio and crosslinker concentration, indicating a good overall protection of the core material.

The last article, the “Effect of Maltodextrin Replacement by Selected Native Starches and Disaccharides on Physicochemical Properties of Pumpkin Oil Capsules Prepared by Spray-Drying”, aimed to compare selected carbohydrates differing in the glycemic index, i.e., maltodextrin, three native starches (wheat, rice and corn) and two disaccharides (trehalose and lactose), used to encapsulate the model oil (in this case cold-pressed pumpkin oil) [6]. The efficiency of the encapsulation of pumpkin oil with spray drying, the size of the obtained capsules, the oxidative stability of the encapsulated oil and the retention of tocopherols, squalene and sterols on the surface and core material of the capsules were determined. Encapsulation efficiencies were found to range from 35% for rice starch to 68–71% for wheat starch, maltodextrin and lactose.

The articles collected in this Special Issue are predicted to significantly contribute to the knowledge of microencapsulation.