Microencapsulation of capsaicin by solvent evaporation method and thermal stability study of microcapsules

With polylactic acid (PLA) as shell and capsaicin as core substances, microcapsules were prepared based on solvent evaporation method. The orthogonal test was used to analyze the effects of the process conditions such as polyvinyl alcohol and PLA concentrations, stirring rate, and oil/water ratio on the particle size of the microencapsulated capsaicin (MC) agents. The chemical composition, morphology and size distribution of the microcapsules prepared by the most satisfactory conditions were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, laser light scattering, and scanning electron microscopy. The MC agents had a mean diameter of 3–5 μm. The thermal properties of the MC agents were measured by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, it was demonstrated that the thermal stability of the MC agents was changed or even improved by the encapsulated PLA over the surface, when compared with similar parameters of the uncovered capsaicin. The in vitro release profile suggested that the microcapsules could be a suitable material for controlled release of capsaicin.