In this study, encapsulation of retinyl palmitate using the kneading method was investigated. The wall materials Keywords: retinyl palmitate, cyclodextrin, maltodextrin, dextrose equivalent value, encapsulation
IntroductionRetinoids are natural and synthetic derivatives of vitamin A.The most common forms of vitamin A precursors present in food are retinol and retinyl esters, which are stored as esters of fatty acids, predominantly as retinyl palmitate (ester of retinol and palmitate) (Tanumihardjo, 2011). Retinoids are essential nutrients for animals, affecting lipid and protein metabolism and endocrine system regulation. The chemical stability of retinoids, including retinyl palmitate, is strongly dependent on chemical and environmental factors such as the solvent, temperature, and oxygen availability (Ji and Seo, 1999). The protection offered by dietary vitamin A has been well established (Loveday and Singh, 2008;Sauvant et al., 2012); thus, enhancing retinoid stability by encapsulation has been extensively investigated. Gonnet et al. (2010) reviewed new trends in the encapsulation of liposoluble vitamins, including the encapsulation of vitamin A in the food industry. Encapsulation is an important method for protecting unstable compounds from damage due to oxidation and other degradative processes (Gonnet et al., 2010). The materials used for the encapsulation of vitamin A have been classified according to the stability of the constructs, which include solid particles, molecular complexes, emulsions, and liposomes (Sauvant et al., 2012). Molecular complexes of retinoids with cyclodextrins (CDs), proteins, and chitosan have been well studied. Retinoid-CD complexes are usually prepared by mixing the retinoids with CD in an aqueous solution (Gonnet et al., 2010;Lin et al., 2007), but this is not an easy procedure. A γ-CD/retinol complex with the required composition is commercially available (Regiert, 2009); however, its synthesis requires vigorous stirring for 72 h at 50℃ under a N 2 atmosphere (Moldenhauer et al., 1999). Lin et al. (2000) improved T. Koeda et al. 530 complex solubility and stability using a method for the preparation of a 2-hydroxypropyl-β-CD (HP-β-CD)/all-trans-retinoic acid complex that involved shaking the suspension under ambient temperature (24℃) for 8 d. Furthermore, Yoshida et al. (1999) tested the stability of retinol in emulsions and found that after 4 weeks at 50℃ in O/W, W/O, and O/W/O emulsions, the percentage of retinol remaining was 32.3%, 45.7%, and 56.9%, respectively.However, the emulsions contained only 0.1% retinol. Singh and Das (1998) studied the properties of retinol and retinyl palmitate intercalated in phosphatidylcholine liposomes. In general, spraydrying is commonly used to encapsulate food ingredients with solid particles (Gharsallaoui et al., 2007), and many encapsulated powders are manufactured by emulsification of substrates with surfactants in maltodextrin (MD) solutions and spray-drying the resulting mixtures. The efficacies of three different processes, n...