Effects of type and ratio of carrier on physicochemical properties of microcapsules containing gac fruit aril

Gac fruit aril contains high levels of carotenoids, lycopene, and β-carotene. Unfortunately, when exposed to environmental conditions, these bioactive compounds rapidly degrade. Therefore, microencapsulation must be applied in order to reduce the degradation. This study was carried out to determine the effects of the concentration of Gac aril on the efficiency of the process and on the physicochemical properties of the microcapsules. The Gac aril concentrations were varied over a range from 11.1 to 33.3% and over a range of carrier ratios from 1:3 to 1:7. The Gac aril microcapsules were analysed for efficiency and their physiochemical properties. The result indicated that using 20% Gac aril in 3% β-cyclodextrins had significantly produced a higher process yield, total carotenoid contents, encapsulation efficiency, lycopene, and β-carotene contents in the microcapsules than maltodextrin or gelatin (p < 0.05). The lowest Moisture content (MC) and Water Activity (Aw) were found at the Gac aril concentration of 25% Gac aril, which had been encapsulated with 20% maltodextrin. The optimum concentration of the carriers was 16.7 % Gac aril with maltodextrin and 20% Gac aril for both gelatin and β-cyclodextrins.