Complex coacervation and freeze drying using whey protein concentrate, soy protein isolate and arabic gum to improve the oxidative stability of chia oil

BACKGROUNDChia oil (CO) is popular for being the richest vegetable source of alpha-linolenic acid (60-66%). However, this content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) limits the incorporation of bulk CO in food products due to its high probability of oxidation. This justifies the study of alternative wall materials for microencapsulation. No reports regarding the use of dairy protein/vegetable protein/polysaccharide blends as wall material for the microencapsulation of CO have been published. Therefore, this work analyzed the behavior of a whey protein concentrate (WPC)/soy protein isolate (SPI)/arabic gum (AG) blend as wall material. The complex coacervation (CC) process was studied: pH, 4.0; total solid content, 30% w/v; WPC/SPI/AG ratio, 8:1:1 w/w/w; stirring speed, 600 rpm; time, 30 min; room temperature. RESULTSThe oxidative stability index (OSI) of CO (3.25 +/- 0.16 h) was significantly increased after microencapsulation (around four times higher). Furthermore, the well-known matrix-forming ability of AG and WPC helped increase the OSI of microencapsulated oils. Meanwhile, SPI contributed to the increase of the encapsulation efficiency due to its high viscosity. Enhanced properties were observed with CC: encapsulation efficiency (up to 79.88%), OSIs (from 11.25 to 12.52 h) and thermal stability of microcapsules given by the denaturation peak temperatures of WPC (from 77.12 to 86.00 degrees C). No significant differences were observed in the fatty acid composition of bulk and microencapsulated oils. CONCLUSIONMicrocapsules developed from complex coacervates based on the ternary blend represent promising omega-3-rich carriers for being incorporated into functional foods.