Optimization of cinnamaldehyde microcapsule wall materials by experimental and quantitative methods

Microencapsulation is a widely-investigated technique used for the unstable material preservation since the wall materials prevent the core materials from loss and deterioration. To improve the stability of cinnamaldehyde (CAL), different microcapsule wall systems are fabricated by spray-drying, and then characterized by experimental methods to determine the most suitable wall materials. Surface morphology, encapsulation efficiency, effective loading capacity, as well as moisture absorption property are evaluated, and the results suggest that a three-matrix system of methyl cellulose (MC)/sodium alginate (SA)/MC or MC/carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC)/SA wall formulation is more suitable for CAL microencapsulation. Moreover, a novel quantitative method is also proposed to verify the most stable wall material microencapsulation. The quantitative results show that the highest activation energy (53.00 ± 2.24 kJ/mol) is observed for the MC/CMC/SA-encapsulated CAL microcapsule. Taken together, the results suggest that MC/CMC/SA wall formulation shows excellent barrier properties and is superior to other wall materials in preventing microencapsulated CAL deterioration. This study will be efficient in designing an ideal capsule for CAL microencapsulation.