Optimizing microencapsulation of α-tocopherol with pectin and sodium alginate.

α-Tocopherol is a well-known fat-soluble antioxidant and is widely used in the food industry for stabilizing free radicals. Incorporation and stability of it into food is another challenge as directly added α-tocopherol is prone to inactivation by food constituents. This study was aimed at optimizing conditions for encapsulation of α-tocopherol using combination of sodium alginate (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0%) as primary wall material and pectin (2.0%) as filler. The optimum conditions were selected on the basis of encapsulation efficiency, shape, size, bulk density, yield and swelling index with syringe method. The encapsulation efficiency of α-tocopherol in microencapsules produced under optimal conditions was 52.91% using sodium alginate 1.5% w/v and pectin 2.0% w/v. α-Tocopherol was encapsulated with encapsulator using standard conditions and was compared with syringe method. The encapsulation efficiency was found more (55.97%) in microencapsules prepared with encapsulator and 52.11% in microencapsules prepared with syringe.