Note. Mesquite gum (Prosopis juliflora) and maltodextrin blends as wall materials for spray-dried encapsulated orange peel oil / Nota. Mezclas de goma de mezquite (Prosopis juliflora) y maltodextrina como material encapsulante de aceite esencial de naranja secado por aspersion

The performance of mesquite gum and maltodextrin mixtures in the preparation of encapsulated orange peel oil was evaluated. Emulsions of orange peel oil were prepared using an emulsifier for mulated with 1:4, 2:3, 3:2 and 4:1 (w/w) ratios of maltodextrins:mesquite gum solutions (30 %) and spray dried with a laboratory unit. The highest rate of oil encapsulation, 84.6 %, was achieved with the 3:2 ratio of maltodextrin:mesquite. Results showed no statistical difference ( p ≤ .05) in flavor intensity between samples prepared with all mesquite:maltodextrins mixtures and microcapsules made with gum Arabic only as wall material. The mixtures provided acceptable oil retention and could be an economic alternative to conventional encapsulating agents.