Fabrication of biopolymer stabilized microcapsules for enhancing physicochemical stability, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of cinnamon essential oil

The current study entails the encapsulation validity to enclose naturally occurring food preservatives, such as cinnamon essential oil (CM), within various wall materials. This approach has demonstrated enhanced encapsulated compounds' stability, efficiency, and bioactivity. The base carrier system consisted of a solid lipid (Berry wax, RW) individually blended with whey protein (WYN), maltodextrin (MDN), and gum Arabic (GMC) as wall materials. The resulting formulations were freeze-dried: WYN/RW/CM, MDN/RW/CM, and GMC/RW/CM. The study comprehensively analyzed encapsulation efficiency, morphology, crystallinity, thermal, and physiochemical properties. When RW was combined with WYN, MDN, and GMC, the microcapsule WYN/RW/CM showed the highest efficiency at 93.4 %, while the GMC/RW/CM exhibited the highest relative crystallinity at 46.54 %. Furthermore, the investigation assessed storage stability, release of bioactive compounds, and oxidative stability during storage at 4 °C/ 25 % RH ± 5 % and 25 °C/40 % RH ± 5 % for 55 days, revealing optimal stability in the WYN/RW/CM microcapsule. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity was assessed at various concentrations of microcapsules, revealing their inhibitory effect against Escherichia coli (gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) bacteria. The WYN/RW/CM microcapsule exhibited the highest inhibition activity in both strains, reaching 40 mm. This study demonstrates that combining WYN with RW as a wall material has greater efficiency in encapsulation and potential uses in various industrial sectors.