Abstract
Abstract Oregano (Origanum vulgare) essential oil (EO), besides its flavoring characteristics, is well known for its antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, which make it a good alternative as food preservative from natural origin. Furthermore, it has been reported that oregano EO can be used as a health promoting substance in the prevention of neurodegenerative disorders. However, EO can be easily degraded by light, oxygen and temperature and there is still a lack of an adequate protection system to improve its stability along processing. In the present study, oregano essential oil was impregnated in microspheres of different types of starch using SSI (supercritical solvent impregnation) with supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2). This process is characterized by mild operating conditions and inert processing atmosphere, especially adequate for the formulation of EOs. The quality of the final product and process efficiency was evaluated by the antioxidant activity (AA) of the final product, determined according to the ORAC assay. Different processing conditions were studied, such as pressure (8–15 MPa), temperature (40–50 °C), impregnation time (3–24 h) and mass ratio of essential oil/starch (0.4–3). The SSI is a batch process and the influence of mode of depressurization was also analyzed. Industrial relevance The present study demonstrates that supercritical impregnation is an attractive process for the impregnation of natural matrices, such as starch granules, with essential oils (EOs), namely oregano essential oil. The mild operating conditions avoid EO degradation and the high diffusivity of supercritical CO2 in the solid matrix (starch) guarantees a deep impregnation of the EO and high antioxidant activity of the product, also during storage. Further, the process is easy to scale up for the production of potential health-promoting ingredients for the food industry.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.