Impact of operating parameters and wall material components on the characteristics of microencapsulated Melissa officinalis essential oil

Abstract

AbstractTo develop a novel usage for functional essential oils, the present study aimed to evaluate the influence of process parameters on the characteristics of Melissa officinalis essential oil microencapsulated through whey protein isolate (WPI) and sodium caseinate (NaCS). Melissa officinalis was encapsulated via whey proteins and NaCS with variable ratios (0–100), core/coating ratios (10–100%), and ultrasonication power (50–150). The impacts of these variables were examined via response surface methodology. The findings demonstrated that lower particle sizes were obtained at higher amounts of WPI with the lowest level of applied sonication power. Desirability function results indicate that the maximum quantity of WPI with an ultrasonication power of 50 W led to the lowest particle size, zeta potential, and turbidity. The application of microcapsules loaded with Melissa officinalis was found to be useful to preserve their bioactive compounds and induces flavour stability, enabling the use of microcapsules in food formulations.