Encapsulation of Hodan seed (borago officinalis) oil

Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is a plant that grows naturally in Europe, especially in the Mediterranean region, and is used as a traditional medicine and edible herbal resource. Especially with the understanding of the health value of ϒ-linolenic acid (GLA), a valuable fatty acid obtained from its seed, and due to its potential market, the interest in this plant, which contains high levels of GLA, has increased. In the presented thesis, crude oil with high ϒ-linolenic acid content obtained from borage seed was encapsulated by ionic gelation method using GG and sodium alginate. The encapsulation process was modeled with the Response Surface Method (RSM) using the Design Expert program and a 3-factor Central Composite Design experimental design was used to determine the optimum conditions. Three independent variable parameters were determined as sodium-alginate gel concentration, GG gel concentration, and percent CaCl2. The encapsulation efficiency, average capsule diameter and encapsulation efficiency of the particles prepared according to these parameters were evaluated. FTIR, light microscope images and SEM analyzes were performed for the characterization of this complex. In the last step, the encapsulated fixed oil was extracted from the capsules to determine the fatty acid distribution and the encapsulation process was confirmed. The results showed that both sodium alginate and GG had an effect on the physical, chemical and morphological properties of the capsules. It was determined that the most effective parameter on the encapsulation efficiency was the percentage of CaCl2, the effect of sodium alginate and GG on the encapsulation efficiency, and the percentage of GG in the mean particle diameter. In the fatty acid distribution profile made in the oil extracted after encapsulation, it was determined that ϒ-linolenic acid (33.61%), oleic acid (21.6%) and linoleic acid (29.14%) were the main fatty acids, and results were consistent with the literature. To conclude, this research shows that borage seed oil can be encapsulated by both reverse gelation method and coating materials, and has the potential to be applied to different foods with different coating materials.