Encapsulation of Plant Extracts

• Published in: Encapsulation in Food Processing and Fermentation pp. 172 - 203
• Main Authors: Kalušević, Ana, Salević, Ana, Jovanović, Aleksandra, Trifković, Kata, Veljović, Mile, Pravilović, Radoslava, Nedović, Viktor
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom CRC Press 2022; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Optimize Extraction Conditions; Pressurized Liquid Extraction; Bioactive Compounds; DPPH; Plant Extracts; Modern Extraction Techniques; Functional Food Products; Active Food Packaging; Antioxidant Activity; Physico Chemical Stability; Natural Extracts; Encapsulation Techniques; Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol Copolymer; Supercritical; St John's Wort Extract; Essential Oils; Supercritical Fluid Extraction; Camellia Sinensis; Tussilago Farfara; Solid Inclusion Complex; Moisture Content; Anthocyanin Rich Extracts; ABTS
• ISBN: 9781032160269; 0367258315; 1032160268; 9780367258313
• DOI: 10.1201/9780429324918-7

The plant kingdom represents an excellent source of various bioactives, widely recognized for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and other health-promoting properties. This chapter gives an overview on the recent achievements in the area of plant extracts: from extraction to encapsulation for food and packaging applications. The first part of this chapter addresses the extraction procedures, as a step which precedes the encapsulation process. Since the bioactive compounds of various plants origin differ structurally, it is hard to establish a standardized extraction technique that would simultaneously extract all target compounds from all plant sources. The extraction efficiency of the active compounds depends on the physicochemical properties of target components and plant source, type of solvent, solid-solvent ratio, extraction time, temperature, pressure, pH, the selected extraction technique and the presence of interfering substances. Therefore, it is essential to optimize extraction conditions for each target component from each plant material. The second part of this chapter summarizes the encapsulation techniques, carriers and encapsulant properties, advantages, effects and applications in food products. As already known, encapsulation technology offers a broad range of possibilities, such as enhancement of health-benefit aspects, nutritional value or food sensory characteristics. The significance of encapsulation of plant extracts is reflected in the improvement of their bioavailability, bioactivity, controlled release, target delivery, shelf-life or masking of undesirable flavors (e.g. polyphenols bitterness). The number of research papers dealing with encapsulated forms of plant extracts is constantly increasing. In addition, the number of products with encapsulated plant extracts or some of their components is also increasing. Besides food, a promising application of encapsulated plant extracts has been found for active food packaging. This chapter aims to review these examples considering different extracts sources – herbs, fruit, vegetables, cereals, even byproducts occurring during their processing. The plant kingdom represents an excellent source of various bioactives, widely recognized for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and other health-promoting properties. This chapter gives an overview on the recent achievements in the area of plant extracts: from extraction to encapsulation for food and packaging applications. It addresses the extraction procedures, as a step which precedes the encapsulation process. The extraction efficiency of the active compounds depends on the physicochemical properties of target components and plant source, type of solvent, solid-solvent ratio, extraction time, temperature, pressure, pH, the selected extraction technique and the presence of interfering substances. Traditional extraction procedures include maceration, heat-assisted extraction, percolation, digestion, hydrodistillation, Soxhlet extraction.