Double emulsion (w/o/w) based as delivery system using iron encapsulation
Tara gum; biopolymer; interfacial tension; bioaccessibility; release kinetics;
double emulsion.
Anemia is a clinical condition that affects the development and productivity of more than one
third of the world's population. It is mainly caused by iron deficiency in food. One way to
increase the amount of iron ingested by the population is to add this iron to food, fortification.
To achieve this fortification, microencapsulation is one of the techniques used, consisting of
coating the active ingredient through a capsule. There are several techniques used in
microencapsulation of iron, one of them being emulsions, which can be single or double. The
emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible liquids, one liquid being spread like droplets
(dispersed phase) in the other liquid (continuous phase). Water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W)
double emulsions are small drops of water, within larger drops of oil that are dispersed in
water. Therefore, the objective of this work is the iron encapsulation using the double
emulsion technique as delivery system, observing the effect of emulsifying agents and
thickening agents on the characteristics of this emulsion. Aiming at stable capsules with high
iron encapsulation efficiency and high bioaccessibility for possible application in iron
fortified foods.