Application of ultrasound to microencapsulation of coconut milk fat by spray drying method.

Mixtures of coconut milk and gelatin solution were treated by ultrasound, mixed with maltodextrin and subsequently spray-dried to yield powder. The effects of ultrasonic power and sonication time on the microencapsulation efficiency (ME) and microencapsulation yield (MY) of coconut fat were investigated. The results indicated that increase in ultrasonic power from 0 to 5.68 W/g and in sonication time from 0 to 2.5 min augmented ME and MY of coconut fat. However, treatment with sonication power higher than 5.68 W/g led to a drop in fat ME and MY, mainly due to aggregation of fat particles and that blocked the adsorption of gelatin molecules on the particle surface.