Characterization of ultrasonicated assisted encapsulated omega 3 fatty acids and inulin for food applications

Abstract

The paper deals with development of emulsion with special features such as omega-3 fatty acids derived from plant sources and inulin as a core material employing whey protein concentrate, & maltodextrin as wall material as a medium of fortificant. Amongst different combinations of tested amplitude and time of ultrasonication, optimized emulsion exhibited no signs of oil separation until 60 days, when kept under ambient and refrigerated storage conditions. Parameters such as particle size (nm), polydispersity index, zeta potential, and viscosity were helpful to form stable emulsion by means of ultrasonic processor. The optimized emulsion contained Dietary fibre content (7.40%); Alpha linolenic acid, (5.35%); Eicosapentaenoic acid (0.56%) and Docosahexaenoic acid (0.75%). To improve the shelf life, the shelf-stable emulsion was subjected to spray drying process to obtain encapsulated powder by optimizing the inlet and outlet temperature as 160 °C and 80 °C, respectively, for the retention of nutraceuticals. Powder demonstrated the presence of Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) @17.8, 1.82, & 1.95% respectively with 95.61% encapsulation efficiency. Bioavailability studies subjected to mimic human gastric and intestinal conditions, paved the way to further food applications which may confer health benefits in the human systems.

Keywords

• Omega 3 fatty acids
• Dietary fibre
• Ultrasonicator
• Stable emulsion
• Encapsulated powder