Study of processing parameters on spherical multinuclear microcapsules of Vitamin E by complex coacervation

The multinuclear microcapsules encapsulating Vitamin E were prepared by complex coacervation, which gelatin and gum Arabic were used as the wall materials. The ratio of gelatin/gum Arabic was determined as 1∶1. The enzymatic crosslinker (Transglutaminase ) was applied to substitute chemical cross-linkers, which are highly toxic and unsuitable for the applications of food processing. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize microencapsulation efficiency including three independent variables: the wall material Concentration(X1), the wall material/core material ratio(X2), and the pH value(X3). The optimal conditions were gotten for the Vitamin E microencapsulation by complex coacervation: wall material concentration 1.23%(X1), wall material/core material ratio 2.14∶1(X2), pH value 4.0(X3). The resulting microencapsulation efficiency(ME), with the optimized condition, was ME (92.78±0.65)%.