Abstract:
Moringa oil (MO), extracted from various parts of the Moringa tree, is an attractive choice as a raw ingredient in various products, including medical and cosmetic applications. High-quality MO can be obtained through the process of cold extraction. However, there are limitations to its direct utilization, particularly MO's instability and its tendency to accelerate the degradation of active ingredients due to external environmental factors, resulting in reduced product efficiency and shelf life.
In this study, the microencapsulation of MO was carried out using three biopolymers: poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA), ethyl cellulose, and cellulose acetate butyrate, employing the solvent evaporation technique in an oil-in-water system. The prepared polymer microcapsule suspensions were found to be colloidally stable. Micrometer-sized spherical polymer capsules with a core-shell morphology were produced. Notably, when a high Mn of PLLA (140,000) was used at a PLLA: MO ratio of 70:30, the highest encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 74.08% was achieved. Additionally, an increase in Mn led to an increase in both capsule shell strength and smoothness. Furthermore, as the capsule size increased, a reduction in the release rate of MO was observed due to an increase in crystallinity. Importantly, the antioxidant properties of the polymer microcapsules obtained were found to be similar to those of the original MO.
Therefore, high EE PLLA microcapsules encapsulating MO were successfully prepared using a solvent evaporation technique. The obtained microcapsules exhibited excellent control release performance and maintained the active ingredient's properties