Spray-drying of Pickering emulsion stabilized by chitosan/alginate for microencapsulation and controlled delivery of palm tocotrienols.

Tocotrienols, a new member of Vitamin E, are powerful antioxidants that can fight free radicals to promote healthy brain, heart, and blood vessels. However, they have low stability and water solubility as well as poor absorption in human gastrointestinal tract. This thesis reports a novel microencapsulation method using the Pickering emulsion / spray-drying approach. The method gives high process yield and tocotrienols retention. It also improves the stability of tocotrienols during prolonged storage and the bioavailability of tocotrienols during in vitro trials. In conclusion, this method can easily be adopted by the industry for encapsulating sensitive food actives owing to its simplicity and scalability.