Encapsulation and Its Possible Application in the Technology of Ready-Made and Ready to Eat Food - A Review

Encapsulation is the process of entrapping or packaging active compounds into the structure of coating or carrier material. Each capsule contains two main materials: 1) carrier/matrix or coating material and 2) encapsulated active compound. The main purpose of encapsulation is protection of the active compound. Commonly used coating materials are different hydrocolloids (polysaccharides or proteins) like starch, cellulose, alginate, carrageenan, casein, gelatine etc. Encapsulation is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. Nowadays, encapsulation has an increasing application in food technology, mostly in bakery, functional food and beverages production. Encapsulation in ready-made and ready to eat food is still poorly researched. But in recent times, many examples for encapsulation in ready-made food technology can be found for research and practical purposes. The common encapsulated compounds used in ready-made food are: essential oils, vitamins, fish oil, probiotics, folic acid and beta carotene. Nanocapsules and microcapsules with encapsulated active compounds can be added to improve nutritional or sensorial quality and shelf life of different ready-made foods like instant soups, mayonnaise, sauces, dressings, meat or fish burgers, tortillas, spicy and seasoning powders and dried mixtures for different dishes etc. There are two main ways of applying encapsulation in ready-made/ready to eat food. The common way is encapsulation of sensitive active compounds and addition of prepared capsules to the ready-made food product during its production. Another way of application implies encapsulation of liquid sauces and spice extracts into macrospheres and macrocapsules.