Microencapsulation of different oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids using dairy industry waste

Combining the integral use of food industry waste with the development of production techniques and the preservation of inputs is a challenge. Cheesemaking generates a large volume of the by–product whey. In turn, whey may be processed to prepare whey permeate, which, similar to whey, has a high organic load damaging its disposal in industrial effluents and increases treatment costs. Fish oil and chia oil are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, beneficial to human health, and highly susceptible to oxidation. Thus, the aim of this study was to use whey and whey permeate as wall component materials to produce, via spray drying, microcapsules to protect commercial chia oil (Salvia hispanica L.) and bleached oil extracted from the viscera of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) through oxidation. For this purpose, emulsions were formulated using pure whey and a whey– permeate (7:3) blend as wall materials (23% w/v), gum acacia (3.0% w/v), soybean lecithin (0.5% w/v), oil (9.3% w/v) and water (64.2% w/v). The emulsions were dried in a spray dryer to obtain fish and chia oil microcapsules, with a double-fluid nozzle of 0.7 mm, feed flow rate of 0.3 L h−1, drying air flow 1.60 m3 min−1, inlet air temperature of 125 °C and outlet air temperature of 105 °C. The emulsions, 24 h after preparation, presented separation rates ranging from 51 to 82%. The microencapsulated oils had lower oxidation rates than oils without protection, exposed under the same conditions and were legally considered to suitable for human consumption. Differences in proteins content between whey and whey permeate affected the encapsulation efficiency and therefore the protection of oils against oxidation. The highest encapsulation efficiency, 90.65%, was assessed in carp oil coated with a whey–permeate blend, which showed the lowest peroxides content. Therefore, dairy by–products are viable alternative materials for the encapsulation of oxidation–sensitive oils.