An essential oil is the volatile lipophilic component extracted from plants. Microencapsulation
systems protect the essential oil from degradation and evaporation, and at the same time allow a
sustained release. This work analyzed and characterized the rosemary essential oil microcapsules
prepared by co-extrusion technique using alginate as wall material and calcium chloride as cross
linker. Several instrumental techniques were used: optical microscopy, coulter counter, Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), termogravimetric
analysis (TGA), spectrophotometry, antimicrobial test and chromatography. Results show that
rosemary oil has pesticidal properties, and its microencapsulation allows knowing that these
properties remain inside the microcapsules