Mesquite gum (Prosopis juliflora) and maltodextrin blends as wall materials for spray-dried encapsulated orange peel oil

The performance of mesquite gum and maltodextrin mixtures in the preparatio n of encapsulated orange peel oil was evaluated. Emulsions of orange peel o il were prepared using an emulsifier formulated with 1:4, 2:3, 3:2 and 4:1 (w/w) ratios of maltodextrins:mesquite gum solutions (30 %) and spray dried with a laboratory unit. The highest rate of oil encapsulation, 84.6 %, was achieved with the 3:2 ratio of maltodextrin:mesquite. Results showed no st atistical difference (p less than or equal to .05) in flavor intensity betw een samples prepared with all mesquite:maltodextrins mixtures and microcaps ules made with gum Arabic only as wall material. The mixtures provided acce ptable oil retention and could be an economic alternative to conventional e ncapsulating agents.