Can Microencapsulation Technology Be Used For Herbal Extracts?

According to available data, 80% of the world's population today uses herbs and herbal supplements such as Saw Palmetto Extract Powder, Corn Silk Extract Powder, Pure Curcumin Extract, Aleo Vera Powder, etc, to treat diverse maladies. Among them, saw palmetto extract, curcumin extract, and aloe vera powder are all produced by microencapsulation technology. Let's take a look at the microencapsulation technology that has been widely used in food, medicine, cosmetics, and other industries in recent years.

Bioactive compounds from plants have aroused great interest because of their affordability, efficacy, and low toxicity. Herbal extracts offer an unlimited resource of raw materials for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. Unfortunately, the use of precious natural compounds can be limited by their unpleasant taste, low bioavailability, volatilization of active compounds, sensitivity to temperature, oxidation and UV light, and in vivo instability. One of the potential solutions to overcome these problems is to microencapsulate bioactive ingredients. Hence, microencapsulation technology can be used to obtain herbal products with desirable properties.

Microencapsulation is a process in which chemicals are released in a controlled way over a long period of time. During this process, small particles or droplets are confined in the coating, forming small capsules or microcapsules. The material inside the capsule forms the core and the outer coating becomes the barrier wall.

In microcapsules, the wall can act as a barrier to the active ingredient against hazardous environmental conditions such as heat, moisture, alkalinity, acid, and even interactions with other compounds. Walls are natural, semi-synthetic, or synthetic polymer coatings surrounding active ingredients. Sodium caseinate, chitosan, gum arabic, starch, gelatin, lactose, and maltodextrin are good candidates for use as walls.

Microencapsulation technology can be used to enhance the properties of different bioactive compounds: improve the stability and extend the shelf life of encapsulated bioactive compounds, reduce their degradation, enhance physical properties, mask unpleasant tastes of substances, prevent interactions, achieve modified release, minimize toxicity, and improve efficacy and compliance.

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