Using hydrogels in dispersed phase of water-in-oil emulsion for encapsulating tea polyphenols to sustain their release

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to prepare carriers to encapsulate tea polyphenols (TPPs) to increase their stability and retention rate. TPPs were embedded in binary gum mixtures. TPPs were slowly released from these mixtures, and the slowest release rate was obtained when the release was from the xanthan gum (XG)/locust bean gum (LBG) mixture at a ratio of 6:4. TPPs were further encapsulated in water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion containing the XG/LBG mixture, and the effects of emulsifier concentration and XG/LBG mixture (6:4) on the stability of W/O emulsion were examined. With increasing emulsifier concentration, the stability increased. It was also observed that the XG/LBG mixture could enhance the stability of the emulsion. Finally, encapsulation of TPPs in the W/O emulsion containing XG/LBG mixture resulted in a high TPPs retention rate of over 70 % after 30 days of storage at 25 °C. The W/O emulsion containing XG/LBG mixture in the dispersed phase has a potential use as an active carrier.