Gum arabic

About: Gum arabic is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2197 publications have been published within this topic receiving 47782 citations. The topic is also known as: acacia gum.

Microencapsulation of Curcumin by a Spray-Drying Technique Using Gum Arabic as Encapsulating Agent and Release Studies

Abstract: Curcumin is a natural yellow pigment extracted from dried roots of turmeric, used in food applications Despite its applicability in food products, this phenolic compound is also used in the pharmaceutical field It is reported to have health benefits such as anticancer, antitumor, and antiviral effects However, curcumin is a very unstable compound Therefore, this work proposes the microencapsulation of curcumin, in order to protect it and to improve its stability and solubility in water, by spray-drying, using the gum arabic as an encapsulating agent in three different concentrations 10, 15, and 20% (weight/volume (w/v)) Emulsions were prepared with coconut oil and used to prepare the curcumin microparticles For this purpose, different analysis and studies were performed A product yield ranging from 44 to 52% and from 29 to 42% was obtained for the production of microparticles without and with curcumin, respectively The curcumin microcapsules and empty capsules were characterized and evaluated All the microparticles presented a spherical form, had a diameter around 7–9 μm (considering a volume distribution), and had a rough surface The efficiency of encapsulation was between 75 and 85%, being higher for the particles prepared with higher concentrations of encapsulating agents Considering the controlled release studies, the microcapsules were prepared with different concentrations of gum arabic but showed similar release profiles However, it was also concluded that increasing the amount of gum arabic used in the formulation of the microparticles, the amount of curcumin released in the first minutes decreases; therefore, the release tends to be slower (632% of the release varied between 255 and 690 min) Fitting the experimental results to a linearized equation of the Weibull model, it was possible to obtain a good correlation coefficient (R2 varying from 094 to 097), indicating that this model adapts to the experimental data obtained

Physicochemical and Thermal Stability of Microcapsules of Cinnamon Essential Oil by Spray Drying

Abstract: Many studies on the cinnamon essential oil has attracted the attention of researchers because of their antimicrobial and antifungal properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different wall material on the physicochemical characteristics of microencapsulated cinnamon essential oil. Microcapsules produced with combinations of wall materials (gum arabic, whey protein isolate and maltodextrin) were evaluated with regard to moisture, solubility, hygroscopicity, bulk density, tapped bulk density and microscopic analysis. The encapsulation efficiency was based on cinnamaldehyde retention in relation to the content of the pure oil. The results showed that blends of gum arabic and maltodextrin obtained better retention of cinnamaldehyde (50%). The presence of maltodextrin together with whey protein isolate favored the formation of more spherical particles. Transmission electron microscopy images clearly showed the oil dispersed in the wall materials. Thermogravimetric curves showed higher thermal stability for microcapsules with whey protein isolated. Based on the physicochemical characteristics analyzed, the best wall material for the process of microencapsulation essential oils of cinnamon was the combination of gum arabic and maltodextrin. Practical Applications This paper aims to add knowledge about the microencapsulation process of essential oils, promoting greater stability to oils.

Partial purification and chemical characterization of a glycoprotein (putative hydrocolloid) emulsifier produced by a marine bacterium Antarctobacter.

Abstract: During screening for novel emulsifiers and surfactants, a marine alphaproteobacterium, Antarctobacter sp. TG22, was isolated and selected for its production of an extracellular emulsifying agent, AE22. This emulsifier was produced optimally in a low-nutrient seawater medium supplemented with glucose and was extractable by cold ethanol precipitation of the high-molecular-weight fraction (>100 kDa). Production of AE22 commenced towards the late exponential phase of growth, with maximum emulsifying activity detected after approximately 4 days of the cells entering the death phase. Chemical, chromatographic and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis confirmed AE22 to be a high-molecular-weight (>2,000 kDa) glycoprotein with high uronic acids content, thus denoting an apparent polyanionic structure. Functional characterization showed this polymer to compare well to xanthan gum and gum arabic as an emulsion-stabilizing agent for a range of different food oils. However, AE22 exhibited better stabilizing than emulsifying properties, which could be conferred by its viscosifying effect in solution or from certain chemical groups found on the polysaccharide or protein moieties of the polymer. This new high-molecular-weight glycoprotein exhibits interesting functional qualities that are comparable to other biopolymers of this type and shows particular promise as an emulsion-stabilizing agent in biotechnological applications.