Ultrasound-assisted encapsulation of citronella oil (Cymbopogon nardus) in alginate/carrageenan beads using ionic gelation method

Abstract

The objective of this research was to determine the effect of ultrasound-assisted encapsulation of citronella oil using alginate/carrageenan (Alg/Carr) with the presence of SDS surfactant. The functional groups of beads particles were analyzed by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and morphological was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed a sharper peak at 2922 cm-1 as the C=C vibration of the methyl group of aromatic compounds in citronella oil, indicating an increase in encapsulation efficiency with ultrasound treatment. The ultrasonication process also causes the C-H bond (1426 cm -1 ) to break, resulting in polymer degradation. The SEM results show that ultrasonication causes the presence of cavities or pores in the cracked wall. In this study, the use of ultrasound during the encapsulation of citronella oil in Alg/Carr enhances the encapsulation efficiency to 95-97%.