ENCAPSULATION OF POMEGRANATE SEED OIL USING W/O/W NANO-EMULSION TECHNIQUE FOLLOWED BY SPRAY DRYING AND ITS APPLICATION IN JELLY FORM

Abstract

Punicic acid, which is an ω-5 polyunsaturated fatty acid representing the main component of pomegranate seed oil (PSO) with pharmaceutical and food usages, is susceptible to oxidation. Also, its water insoluble properties allow only few fractions to be absorbed. Therefore, the protection of this oil as well as bioavailability and good abortion properties are the aim of our work. Formation of water in oil in water (W/O/W) emulsion from pomegranate seed oil followed by spray-drying resulted in its transformation to nano-encapsulated oil powder whose nano-capsules had a narrow size distribution and small diameters in addition to zeta potential of about −22.9 mV. Thus, the oil-loaded system was assumed to be stable. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurement has confirmed the presence of surface pores which allow higher air permeability of powder, consequently a higher solubility and release was predicted. Addition of the obtained nano-encapsulated oil to jelly had a good sensory attribute and acceptability. In conclusion, pomegranate seed oil can be consumed as nano-capsules in jelly form with better water-soluble properties and it was predicted to have good absorption with expected great bioavailability.