However, in some food, nutraceutical and cosmetic products,
higher oil content may be required to reduce the product
volume. Peniche, Howland, Corrillo, Zald´var, and Argüelles-Monal
(2004) have shown that it is possible to achieve high oil content (of
about 65–70%) using a simple extrusion process, where the oil is
encapsulated within Ca-alginate beads coated with chitosan. However,
the scope of their study was not aimed to develop a product
with a high oil content. Currently, the influence of process variables
towards achieving this objective remains poorly understood.
The overall aim of this study was to encapsulate a model oil in
Ca-alginate beads to produce dried beads containing a high oil content.
Palm oil was chosen as a model oil because it is easily available.
An alginate-oil emulsion was prepared and dropped into a gelling
bath to produce oil loaded, Ca-alginate beads. The wet beads were
then freeze-dried and oven-dried. The influence of process parameters,
such as alginate type and concentration, oil volume fraction,
emulsion stability and drying methods, on the encapsulation effi-
ciency and bead properties was studied.