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The objective of this work was to microencapsulate aspartame by double emulsion followed by complex coacervation, aiming to protect it and control its release. Six treatments were prepared using sunflower oil to prepare the primary emulsion and gelatin and gum Arabic as the wall materials. The microcapsules were evaluated structurally with respect to their sorption isotherms and release into water (36°C and 80°C). The microcapsules were multinucleated, not very water-soluble or hygroscopic and showed reduced rates of equilibrium moisture content and release at both temperatures. FTIR confirmed complexation between the wall materials and the intact nature of aspartame. The results indicated it was possible to encapsulate aspartame with the techniques employed and that these protected the sweetener even at 80°C. The reduced solubility and low release rates indicated the enormous potential of the vehicle developed in controlling the release of the aspartame into the food, thus prolonging its sweetness.

The aim of this work was to produce and characterize microcapsules of lycopene and to evaluate their stability in comparison with free lycopene. An oily dispersion of lycopene was encapsulated by complex coacervation using gelatin and pectin. Samples were analyzed at four different pH values (3, 3.5, 4 and 4.5) and three proportions of core (25, 50 and 100%). The moisture, water activity, solubility, hygroscopicity, encapsulation efficiency and stability of lycopene microcapsules kept at 10 and 25C were determined. The amount of lycopene in the microcapsule did not have a significant (P < 0.05) effect on water activity, hygroscopic characteristics or the efficiency of microencapsulation. The degradation of lycopene was linear, with an average loss of 14% per week. Therefore, despite the formation of microcapsules and the high values of encapsulation efficiency, the encapsulation method and the wall materials used in this work did not provide effective protection of the lycopene from degradation during storage. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSBecause of its highly unsaturated structure, lycopene is sensitive to heat and light. Lycopene may undergo two changes during processing and storage: oxidation and isomerization from all-trans to mono-cis or poly-cis. The autoxidation of lycopene is irreversible and leads to the fragmentation of the molecule. Microencapsulation is an innovative technology that protects products from environmental conditions and extends shelf life. Thus, the aim of this work was to produce and characterize microcapsules of lycopene and also to evaluate their stability in comparison with free lycopene.