Determination of oxidative stability of microencapsulated fish oils with different wall materials

In this study, the effects of different coating materials on enhancing the oxidative stability of fish oil and optimizing microencapsulation efficiency were investigated. Coating materials such as maltodextrin, sodium caseinate, gum arabic, and whey protein were used either individually or in combinations to perform fish oil microencapsulation. The obtained microcapsules were evaluated in terms of microencapsulation efficiency (%ME), surface oil (%YY), and oxidative stability (FFA, PV, TBA) parameters. The research findings revealed that coating materials had a significant impact on the microencapsulation process. Combinations containing sodium caseinate were identified as the most effective coating materials for improving microencapsulation efficiency and limiting oxidative degradation. Specifically, the combination of maltodextrin and sodium caseinate achieved the highest microencapsulation efficiency at 73.54%. The same combination also provided a surface oil value of 3.82%, ensuring effective retention of the oil within the capsule. In contrast, combinations containing whey protein exhibited lower performance, with a microencapsulation efficiency of 50.03% and a surface oil value of 10.33%. Oxidative stability analyses, including free fatty acids (FFA), peroxide value (PV), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBA), were also performed. The combination of gum arabic and sodium caseinate provided the highest stability against oxidative degradation, with a free fatty acid (FFA) value of 9.32% and a peroxide value (PV) of 13.46 meq O₂/kg. In contrast, the combination of gum arabic and whey protein showed lower stability, with FFA and PV values of 19.37% and 18.41 meq O₂/kg, respectively. For TBA values, the combination of maltodextrin and whey protein demonstrated the lowest value of 2.48 mg MDA/kg. In conclusion, this study highlighted the effects of coating materials on microencapsulation performance and oxidative stability and emphasized the significance of sodium caseinate in protecting fish oil, a sensitive bioactive component. Keywords: Fish Oil, Microencapsulation, Oxidative Stability, Coating Materials, Microencapsulation Efficiency.