Essential oils (EOs) have many beneficial qualities, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, and antifungal activities, along with good aroma, which have played a significant role in pharmaceutical, textile, and food industries. However, their high volatility and sensibility to external factors, as well as susceptibility to deterioration caused by environmental and storage conditions, or even common processing, and consequently limited water solubility, makes it difficult to incorporate them into aqueous food matrices and limits their industrial application. Spray-drying encapsulation has been proposed as a solution and a challenging research field to retard oil oxidation, extend EO’s shelf life, improve their physicochemical stability, achieve controlled release, suggest novel uses, and therefore boost their added value. The objective of this review is to discuss various used wall materials, infeed emulsion properties, the main formulation and process variables affecting the physicochemical properties and release characteristics of the EOs-loaded particles obtained by spray-drying, the stability of EOs during storage, and the applications of encapsulated EOs powders in foods and nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and textile industries. The current review also summarizes recent advances in spray drying approaches for improving encapsulation efficiency, flavor retention, controlled release, and applicability of encapsulated EOs, thereby expanding their use and functionalities. Graphical Abstract

Moisture adsorption isotherms of spray-dried yogurt powder were determined at 10, 25, and 40°C using the standard, static-gravimetric method. Experimental data were fitted to five mathematical models (Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer [GAB], Brunauer-Emmett-Teller [BET], Halsey, modified Oswin, and modified Henderson). A nonlinear regression analysis method was used to evaluate the constants of the sorption equations. The shelf-life of yogurt powder was predicted based on the relationship between permeability coefficient of the packaging material and moisture adsorbed by the powder determined by the GAB equation. Furthermore, the storage stability of spray-dried yogurt powder in terms of quality parameters including moisture content, water activity, color change, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value was studied in aluminum laminated polyethylene (ALPE) pouches under storage conditions of 25°C and 50% relative humidity (RH).