Paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) is a bright red coloring product of large use by the food industry. Rich in carotenoids, paprika is susceptible to oxidative degradation. Considering these aspects, this research is aimed to microencapsulate paprika oleoresin and to evaluate morphological characteristics, distribution and average particle size and the solubility of microencapsulated paprika oleoresin. The microencapsulation was carried out by spray drying, in porous agglomerates of rice starch/gelatin and arabic gum. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed, for arabic gum microcapsules, a cylindrical shape with a continuous wall with no apparent porosity or cracks and the core was distributed within the wall. The porous agglomerates of rice starch/gelatin microcapsules also presented a cylindrical shape; the walls were formed by the granules of rice starch, which was glued by gelatin; however the structure was shown to be porous. Both materials presented unimodal distribution, with an average particle size of 16 and 20.3µm for arabic gum and starch/gelatin microcapsules, respectively. In spite of that it is possible to microencapsulate paprika oleoresin with both materials using the spray drying process, the morphologycal analysis revealed that arabic gum seems to be a more effective barrier to the core material. Obtained results also show that the temperatures used in the microencapsulation were adequate, the size of the microcapsules were inside the range used by this kind of process and the solubility was excellent.
microencapsulation; morphology; spray drying; paprika oleoresin; arabic gum; agglomerates of rice starch/gelatin
