Encapsulation Methods and Use in Animal Nutrition

Encapsulation is a technology based on coating an active compound with one or more coating material and keeping it in the capsule. Encapsulation is a system can be used for increasing stability and bioavailability, protecting the form and controlled secretion to target tissues of bioactive compounds. Coating materials are can be ranged as starch, analogs of starch, proteins, gums, lipids or their mixtures. Nowadays, many methods such as spray drying, freeze drying, fluid bed coating, extrusion, cocrystillization and molecular clust have been used for encapsulation practices. These practices are used in fields such as food, pharmacy, medicine, veterinary, biotechnology, textile, industry and agriculture. In recent years, advantages of encapsulation methods for the efficiency of feed additives have been asserted. As a matter of fact, lycopene, linoleic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, probiotics and plant extracts can be coated with different materials. In this review, decreasing the negative effects of environment on quality and the quantity of additives and encapsulation technology used for increasing stability, advantages and using possibilities of this products in animal nutrition has been discussed.