Cyclodextrin encapsulation to prevent the loss of l-menthol and its retention during drying

The taste and flavor of spray-dried powdered products are the most importan t quality factors. In the present study, molecular encapsulation in cyclode xtrin was applied to prevent the loss of a hydrophobic flavor compound (I-m enthol) during the drying of a droplet. beta-Cyclodextrin appeared to be a better encapsulant for menthol than alpha- and gamma-cyclodextrin. The rete ntion of menthol increased with increasing concentration of both cyclodextr in and maltodextrin. A simple mathematical model is proposed for estimating the flavor retention. The theoretical results by this model estimated well the final retention of menthol encapsulated in a blend of beta-cyclodextri n and maltodextrin.