In recent decades, the microcapsules of lipids, compound lipids, and essential oils, have found numerous potential practical applications in food, textiles, agricultural products, as well as pharmaceuticals. This article discusses the encapsulation of fat-soluble vitamins, essential oils, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and structured lipids. Consequently, the compiled information establishes the criteria to better select encapsulating agents as well as combinations of encapsulating agents best suited to the types of active ingredient to be encapsulated. This review shows a trend towards applications in food and pharmacology as well as the increase in research related to microencapsulation by the spray drying of vitamins A and E, as well as fish oil, thanks to its contribution of omega 3 and omega 6. There is also an increase in articles in which spray drying is combined with other encapsulation techniques, or modifications to the conventional spray drying system.

One of the most common ways to protect oils is microencapsulation, which includes the use of encapsulating agents. Due to the environmental problems facing humanity, this study seeks to combine green biopolymers (microcrystalline cellulose and whey protein isolate) that function as encapsulating agents for grapeseed oil. Grapeseed oil that is obtained from agro-industrial waste has shown health benefits, including cardioprotective, anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. These health benefits have been mainly associated with monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids. In this sense, it has been observed that grapeseed oil can be easily modified by environmental factors such as oxygen, high temperatures, and light, showing the instability and easy degradation of grapeseed oil. In this study, grapeseed oil was encapsulated using the spray-drying technique to conserve its lipidic profile. Powder recovery of the grapeseed oil microcapsules ranged from 65% to 70%. The encapsulation efficiency of the microcapsules varied between 80% and 85%. The FTIR analysis showed chemical interactions that demonstrate chemisorption between the grapeseed oil and the encapsulating material, while the SEM micrographs showed a correct encapsulation in a spherical shape. Gas chromatography showed that the lipid profile of grapeseed oil is preserved thanks to microencapsulation. Release tests showed 80% desorption within the first three hours at pH 5.8. Overall, whey protein and microcrystalline cellulose could be used as a wall material to protect grapeseed oil with the potential application of controlled delivery of fatty acids microcapsules.

This article proposes a standard protocol to produce bacterial nanocellulose (Komagateibacter medellinensis). It will briefly review the main raw materials (common agro-industrial waste in tropical countries), process of obtaining bacterial nanocellulose membranes, and the cleaning process for said membranes. The processing of the membranes using a grinder and Ultra-Turrax is then shown, listing the characteristics provided by each of these methods to produce bacterial nanocellulose microparticles by spray drying. The average microparticle size obtained by spray drying was (4.76 ± 1.12 µm), and thermal stability (maximum degradation temperature) was 345 °C. This research clearly states that the grinder was selected as the most efficient mechanical method due to its improved dispersion performance and lower clogging during spray drying. Finally, physical (scanning electron microscopy-SEM, transmission electron microscopy-TEM, and thermogravimetric analyzer-TGA) and microbiological (mesophiles, yeasts, fungi, and fecal coliforms) characterization is demonstrated. These microparticles are intended to be used in the food industry to produce functional and enriched foods, protecting the bioactive components of interest.

Bacterial nanocellulose has been commonly used as a gelling or stabilizing agent in the food industry and as an excipient in pharmacology. However, due to its physical and chemical properties, such as its high degradation temperature and the ease with which it can interact with other molecules, bacterial nanocellulose has been established as a material with great potential for the protection of bioactive compounds. This research shows the capacity of bacterial nanocellulose to establish interactions with B vitamins (B1, B2, B3 and B12) through different sorption isotherms, mainly by means of the BET, GAB and TSS models. First, the degradation of the vitamin B complex, which mostly occurs upon heating, is minimized in the presence of BNC, herein proposed as a thermal stabilizer. Secondly, BNC is shown to bind to micronutrients and act as dietary fiber. BNC acts as a thickening and water-binding agent. The effects of BNC are determined to occur as an encapsulation system that facilitates affinity adsorption in mono- and multilayers. Finally, bacterial nanocellulose was used as an encapsulating agent for the vitamin B complex by spray drying. It is demonstrated that BNC is a very successful new nanomaterial for encapsulation, with a high level of adsorption, and for the protection of hydro-soluble vitamins. BNC has shown great potential to adsorb vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B12 owing to their hydroxyl groups, which are responsible for its water or vitamin sorption. Due to the features of bacterial nanocellulose, it is possible to use it as a raw material in the food industry to protect micronutrients during the thermal process.

This study presents a comprehensive comparison of bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) and maltodextrin (MDX) as encapsulating agents for vitamin B12, using spray drying. The research focuses on the physical powder characteristics, such as flowability and cohesion, which are critical for industrial applications. The encapsulation of vitamin B12 was confirmed by ATR-FTIR analysis, which showed characteristic band shifts at 2138 cm⁻¹ indicating interaction between the vitamin and the encapsulant matrices. Powder flow analysis revealed that BNC-based powders exhibited lower cohesion (CI = 13.3) and better flowability compared to MDX-based powders (CI = 7.7–13.7). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that all powders consisted of micrometric spherical particles ranging from 2 to 8 µm, with BNC producing particles with a more defined and less agglomerated structure. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that both matrices enhanced the thermal stability of vitamin B12, with BNC increasing the degradation onset temperature from 200 °C to 260 °C and the maximum degradation temperature from 274 °C to 317 °C providing a slightly higher onset degradation temperature. The results suggest that BNC is a promising alternative to traditional encapsulants like maltodextrin, offering up to 43 °C higher thermal protection and improved physical properties for encapsulating thermosensitive compounds in dietary applications.

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a natural hydrocolloid with a high water-holding capacity and structuring potential in food systems. This study evaluated the effects of BNC addition at two concentrations (0.4% and 0.8%) on the physicochemical properties, texture profile, and microstructure of goat cheese during 21 days of refrigerated storage. Cheeses were characterized in terms of water activity (Aw), moisture content, and color (L*, a*, b*) and analyzed using texture profile analysis (TPA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and microscopy (optical, Cryo-SEM, and SEM). The addition of BNC significantly reduced water activity in a concentration-dependent manner; the 0.8% treatment reached the lowest Aw values by day 21. Moisture retention was improved, particularly at 0.4% BNC. Texture analysis showed that BNC reduced hardness and gumminess while increasing cohesiveness over time. FTIR spectra confirmed the incorporation of BNC into the cheese matrix, as evidenced by increased intensity in the C–H stretching region. Microstructural analysis demonstrated effective integration of nanocellulose fibers into the protein network, although higher concentrations led to localized fat agglomeration. These results indicate that BNC can serve as a clean-label ingredient to enhance the texture and stability of goat cheese, with potential applications in the development of fresh or reduced-fat style cheeses. Further sensory evaluation and compositional analysis (including fat content evaluation) are recommended to fully establish its practical utility.