Production of pungency-suppressed capsaicin microcapsules by spray chilling

This study aimed to produce capsaicin microcapsules with suppressed pungency, retaining chemical structure and biological activities. Encapsulation was performed using spray chilling where a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was preferred in the optimization study. Effects of homogenization rate, ratio of sunflower seed oil in the palm oil, inlet temperature and rate of capsaicin in the emulsion on the microencapsulation efficiency and release of the capsaicin microcapsules were determined using an in vitro gastrointestinal model. Microencapsulation efficiencies were found to be in 78.48-98.17%. Double-layered microencapsulation reduced the amounts of surface capsaicin and capsaicin released in the in vitro model (oral and stomach systems). The Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) of the encapsulated capsaicin powder was reduced by 4500 times as compared to the pure capsaicin. Thus we propose the commercial level spray chilling microencapsulation of capsaicin to make it edible for those who cannot consume it due to their pungency sensitivity.