Determination of some chemical and physical properties of olive paste samples added with thyme oil microcapsules

Today, the increasing world population and consumption are leading people to enriched food products with high bioavailability and availability. In parallel with this trend, technology and science are developing day by day in order to protect the existing nutrients against environmental conditions and then to make them as efficient as possible. In this study, in order to ensure the stability of important components such as thymol and carvacrol contained in thyme oil, the effect of thyme essential oil into microcapsules by enriching olive paste and its effect on physicochemical properties, microbial structure and sensory properties were investigated. It is aimed to make the olive paste a more preferred product by enriching the content of thyme oil which is a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agent. For this purpose, thyme essential oil was microencapsulated with Arabic gum and gelatin wall materials and tannic acid cross-linking agent according to coacervation technique. Olive paste sample formed by adding microcapsules at 1000 ppm, olive paste sample selected as control sample and olive paste samples in which free form of thyme oil were added at 1000 ppm were formed. These samples were stored at 4℃ and 25℃ for 56 days. pH, free fatty acidity, peroxide, dry matter, color, total phenolic agent, antioxidant activity analyses and thymol and carvacrol analyses with HPLC were applied to these samples on days 0, 14, 28, 42 and 56. Total mesophilic aerobic bacteria count and sensory analysis were also performed on days 0, 28 and 56. All analysis results were evaluated statistically (P<0.05). According to the results of the analysis, it was observed that the microcapsule structure protects the thyme essential oil and provides a controlled release during storage. Thus, it is provided to store olive paste in a safer and better quality than other samples.