Protein-based wall materials to microencapsulate fish oil as source of EPA and DHA Francisco de-la-Haba, Abraham Pajuelo, Teresa Antequera, Javier Durán, Trinidad Pérez-Palacios Food and Bioproducts Processing, 2025 This study aimed to develop highly stable, efficient and bioaccessible microcapsules containing EPA and DHA by using fish oil and evaluating different protein-based wall materials of plant and animal origin, with or without enzymatic treatment. Pea protein, soy protein, calcium caseinate, and caseinate combined with transglutaminase were employed as wall materials. Emulsions were prepared and subsequently spray-dried to obtain microcapsule powders. Both plant- and animal-derived proteins significantly influenced most quality parameters of the microcapsules, whereas the effect of transglutaminase addition was less pronounced, mainly impacting microencapsulation efficiency. All wall materials provided stability to the fish oil microcapsules, although plant proteins induced noticeable color changes. Caseinate, particularly when combined with transglutaminase, achieved the highest encapsulation efficiency. Moreover, caseinate exhibited superior performance in terms of EPA and DHA bioaccessibility and flow properties, making it the most suitable wall material. Overall, the findings highlight calcium caseinate as the preferred choice for fish oil microencapsulation to produce effective delivery vehicles of EPA and DHA. • Plant- and animal-based proteins were evaluated for encapsulating EPA and DHA. • PP showed the highest yield; TGASA gave the best microencapsulation efficiency. • Plant proteins favored oral release; animal proteins delayed intestinal release.
Incorporation of Encapsulated Omega-3 in 3D-Printed Food Gels: A Study on Rheology, Extrusion, and Print Performance in Dual Ink Printing Adrián Matas-Gil, Francisco de-la-Haba, Marta Igual, Purificación García-Segovia, Javier Martínez-Monzó Foods, 2025 The integration of functional ingredients into 3D food printing formulations presents both opportunities and challenges, particularly regarding the printability and structural integrity of the final product. This study investigates the effect of incorporating omega-3 fatty acids encapsulated in pea protein into a model food gel composed of gelatin and iota-carrageenan. Four formulations with varying concentrations of encapsulated omega-3 (0%, 3%, 3.75%, and 6%) were evaluated for their rheological, textural, and printability properties. Rheological analysis revealed a progressive increase in storage modulus (G′) from 1200 Pa (0%) to 2000 Pa (6%), indicating enhanced elastic behavior. Extrusion analysis showed a reduction in maximum extrusion force from 325 N (0%) to 250 N (6%), and an increase in buffer time from 390 s to 500 s. Print fidelity at time 0 showed minimal deviation in the checkerboard geometry (area deviation: −12%), while the concentric cylinder showed the highest stability over 60 min (height deviation: 9%). These findings highlight the potential of using encapsulated bioactive compounds in 3D food printing to develop functional foods with tailored nutritional and mechanical properties.
Suitability in the microencapsulation of fish oil and in vitro bioaccessibility of omega-3 fatty acids Francisco de-la-Haba, Teresa Antequera, Jorge Ruiz, Juan Carlos Solomando, Abraham Pajuelo, Trinidad Pérez-Palacios Food Bioscience, 2023 Due to the bioactivity of omega-3 fatty acids, mainly eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic fatty acids (EPA and DHA, respectively), and their high susceptibility to oxidation, the microencapsulation of sources rich in these bioactive compounds is being applied as a stabilization strategy, being required to adjust formulation variables of the process to get microcapsules with desirable characteristics. Thus, the objective of this study was to stablish most appropriate chitosan concentration and homogenization technique of chitosan-maltodextrin emulsions of fish oil to achieve suitable microcapsules of omega-3 fatty acids with high quality characteristics and in vitro bioaccessibility of EPA and DHA. For that, spray-dried microcapsules from fish oil emulsions with different chitosan concentration (1%, 1.25% and 1.5%) and homogenized with high-pressure or ultrasounds were elaborated. In general, all batches showed appropriate quality characteristics in emulsions and microcapsules. However, the studied variables (chitosan concentration and homogenization techniques) significantly influenced most of the evaluated properties (pH, creaming index, viscosity and density of emulsions; efficiency, lipid oxidation, particle size, morphology, and EPA and DHA quantity and release during in vitro digestion in microcapsules), being noted that the use of 1.5% chitosan and homogenization by ultrasounds enhanced the emulsion stability and efficiency, oxidation stability, particle size, and concentration and in vitro bioaccessibility of EPA and DHA in microcapsules. Then, these conditions may be stablished to get suitable microcapsules of omega-3 fatty acids with high quality characteristics and in vitro bioaccessibility of EPA and DHA.
Optimization of ultra-sonicated homogenization conditions of fish oil emulsions to improve stability, efficiency and bioaccessibility of ω -3 microcapsules Juan Carlos Solomando, Teresa Antequera, Jorge Ruiz, Francisco De La Haba, Trinidad Perez-Palacios Journal of Functional Foods, 2023 This study aimed to improve the quality characteristics of fish oil microcapsules from monolayer and multilayer emulsions by optimizing the ultra-sonicated homogenization conditions to obtain a stable source of omega-3 fatty acids to add in food matrix. For that, a response surface methodology trial was firstly conducted to get optimum ultra-sonicated conditions that increase stability of emulsions and efficiency of microcapsules. Thus, optimum combinations of power of (141.01 and 141.21 kg m2/s3), time (15 and 5 min), pulse (80%) and emulsion volume (100 and 200 mL) were obtained for monolayered and multilayered emulsions, respectively. In comparison to homogenization by high-pressure, the use of ultrasounds improved most quality characteristics of emulsions (stability and drop size) and microcapsules (microencapsulation yield, total oil, microencapsulation efficiency, quantities and bioaccessibility of EPA and DHA, lipid oxidation, size, and distribution), especially in monolayered ones. It worth noting the increase in microencapsulation efficiency in multilayered and the improvement in emulsion stability and bioaccessibility of EPA and DHA in both types of microcapsules.
Recent Developments in the Microencapsulation of Fish Oil and Natural Extracts: Procedure, Quality Evaluation and Food Enrichment Trinidad Perez-Palacios, Jorge Ruiz-Carrascal, Juan Carlos Solomando, Francisco de-la-Haba, Abraham Pajuelo, Teresa Antequera Foods, 2022 Due to the beneficial health effects of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants and their limited stability in response to environmental and processing factors, there is an increasing interest in microencapsulating them to improve their stability. However, despite recent developments in the field, no specific review focusing on these topics has been published in the last few years. This work aimed to review the most recent developments in the microencapsulation of fish oil and natural antioxidant compounds. The impact of the wall material and the procedures on the quality of the microencapsulates were preferably evaluated, while their addition to foods has only been studied in a few works. The homogenization technique, the wall–material ratio and the microencapsulation technique were also extensively studied. Microcapsules were mainly analyzed for size, microencapsulation efficiency, morphology and moisture, while in vitro digestion, flowing properties, yield percentage and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used more sparingly. Findings highlighted the importance of optimizing the most influential variables of the microencapsulation procedure. Further studies should focus on extending the range of analytical techniques upon which the optimization of microcapsules is based and on addressing the consequences of the addition of microcapsules to food products.
