Preparation of Fish Oil Microcapsules by Complex Coacervation of Gelatin–Gum Arabic and their Utilization for Fortification of Pomegranate Juice

Abstract This work aimed to microencapsulate fish oil within the complex coacervates of gelatin–gum Arabic (ratio 1:1) and then to fortify pomegranate juice with the microcapsules. The maximum values of encapsulation efficiency and oil percent of microcapsules were found for the formulation containing 1.5% encapsulants and 3% fish oil. Optical microscopy revealed that the microcapsules have a round shape and multinucleated structure. The freeze‐dried microcapsules were added to pomegranate juice before pasteurization, and some physicochemical and sensory properties of the fortified juice were investigated during 42 days storage at 4°C. Addition of microcapsules into juice led to an increase in its turbidity and lightness. Sensory evaluation showed that it is possible to fortify pomegranate juice with fish oil microcapsules up to 100 mg long‐chain n‐ 3 PUFAs per liter. GC–MS analysis revealed that ≈14% of fish oil was released from the added microcapsules to pomegranate juice on the day 42. Practical Applications Encapsulation of omega‐3 rich oil by complex coacervation technique is an effective approach to delay its oxidation in enriched food products. Therefore, fish oil containing long‐chain n‐3 PUFAs was microencapsulated in complex coacervates of gelatin–gum Arabic and then added to pomegranate juice. Subsequently, quality characteristics of the fortified juice were investigated during storage. This study provides useful information about fortification of aqueous‐based food products with microcapsules containing omega‐3 rich oil or other lipophilic nutraceuticals.