Microencapsulation of grape seed oil (Vitis vinifera L.) with gum arabic as a coating polymer by crosslinking emulsification method

Objective: Grape seed oil (GSO) from Vitis vinifera L. is a liquid vegetable oil which has been used mainly for its linoleic acid content. However, there are many efforts to convert the liquid form of the oil into a solid form due to the instability under storage condition. The aim of this study was to convert GSO into the solid microcapsules by emulsion crosslinking method with gum arabic as a coating polymer. Methods: The GSO was formulated with gum arabic in the ratios of 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5. Gum arabic solution was emulsified with GSO using Span 80 and glutaraldehyde. The emulsion was dropped into a beaker glass of isopropyl alcohol to form microcapsules. The microcapsules were dried at 70 °C. Then, they were characterized in terms of morphology, particle size, swelling index, water content, and entrapment efficiency. Results: The produced microcapsules of GSO showed white yellowish color and spherical shape. The particle size of F1, F2, F3 and F4 microcapsules were 69 μm, 82 μm, 125 μm, and 131 μm, respectively. The water content of the F1–F4 ranged from 4.37±0.34 to 5.70±0.92% and swelling indexes were ranged from 5.54±0.01 to 5.94±0.04. The value of entrapment efficiency of F1, F2, F3, and F4 were 17.33±0.603, 20.73±0.678, 34.22±1.195, and 67.15±2.019%, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this investigation showed that GSO could be converted into the solid spherical microcapsules by emulsion crosslinking method using gum arabic. Taken together, this study has provided the most promising formulation of GSO microcapsules for further production in pharmaceutical industry.