Complex Coacervates for Thermally Sensitive Controlled Release of Flavor Compounds

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Abstract
To improve the appeal of frozen baked foods upon heating, we have encapsulated flavor oil in complex coacervate microcapsules using gelatin and gum Arabic. Variation of polyion concentrations and homogenization rate affected particle morphology, size distribution, and oil release upon heating. Release of the oil from formulations was determined by a simple spectroscopic method based on separation of oil labeled with a lipophilic dye from unaffected particles. When heated to 100 °C or higher, univesicular microcapsules (prepared with a lower homogenization rate) released almost all of the encapsulated oil, while multivesicular microcapsules (produced by high homogenization rates) resulted had lesser degrees of release. The oil remained encapsulated during 4 weeks of storage at 4 and −20 °C (freezing and thawing) but was released by exposure to 100 mM NaCl at room temperature. When particles were cooled after releasing their oil content, the oil was re-encapsulated. Keywords: Complex coacervation; gelatin-gum Arabic; flavor oil; frozen foods; heat-triggered release; controlled delivery