Encapsulation of Essential Oils by Spray-Drying: Antimicrobial Activity, and Applications in Food Preservation

Abstract

Recent growing concerns about health promotion through quality foods have changed the eating habits of consumers as well as they have driven the food industries to replace synthetic conservatives and artificial aromas in their products with natural compounds or plant-based derivatives with similar activities. Essential oils contain a high variety of compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, as well as less toxicity when compared to the currently applied synthetic compounds. However, compounds from essential oils are volatile, lipophilic, characterized by intense aroma, and also susceptible to oxidation when exposed to light, oxygen, and moisture. These drawbacks can compromise the biological activity associated with essential oil and its chemical components. The microencapsulation of essential oils has been proposed as an alternative to these drawbacks due to its action in the protection of volatile constituents of essential oil from external factors, reduction of volatilization loss, and the controlling release of chemical constituents. This chapter presents a review of recent studies using essential oils microencapsulated by spray drying as an alternative to control microbial growth and discusses the influences of these microcapsules on food conservation.