Materials and methods for the microencapsulation of substances of food and agricultural interest

Microencapsulation consists of trapping solid, liquid or gas particles inside an inert cover, in order to protect them from their environment. This technique has numerous biotechnological applications in the food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Microcapsules are relevant for obtaining viable products and optimizing their efficacy, stability, safety and ease of application. There is a wide range of coating materials and techniques used for the microencapsulation of various substances of interest. A review of encapsulating materials and microencapsulation methods used in the food and agricultural industries is presented.Microencapsulation involves trapping solid, liquid, or gas particles within an inert cover to protect them from the environment. This technique has numerous biotechnological applications in the food, agricultural, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Microcapsules are relevant for obtaining viable products and optimizing their efficacy, stability, safety, and ease of application. There is a wide range of coating materials and techniques used to microencapsulate various substances of interest. This article presents a review of encapsulating materials and microencapsulation methods used in the food and agricultural industries

Evaluation of Cooking Quality, Nutritional and Texture Characteristics of Pasta Added with Oat Bran and Apple Flour

This study reports the effect of the addition of oat bran and apple flour on the cooking quality, digestibility, antioxidant, nutritional and texture characteristics of a spaghetti-type pasta. Pasta samples were prepared by substituting 50% of durum wheat semolina with oat bran (OBP) or apple flour (AFP). AFP presented higher cooking loss and water absorption index than the control pasta prepared with 100% durum wheat semolina (WSP). The supplementation of pasta with oat bran increased the total dietary fiber content (16.43% w/w, dw), while apple flour decreased the protein content (11.16% w/w, dw). There was no significant difference in the resistant starch content among all pasta samples. The pasta samples made with 50/50 durum wheat semolina/oat bran and 50/50 durum wheat semolina/apple flour increased the antioxidant activity by ≈46% and ≈97%, respectively. The OBP and AFP samples had a similar texture to the control pasta. A 50% replacement of durum wheat semolina with oat bran in a pasta formulation decreased the caloric content and digestibility of its starch components. These attributes found in the oat bran pasta and apple flour pasta make them a healthy choice for the diet of people with specific nutritional needs