Cápsulas de alginato para la protección de polifenoles presentes en el aceite esencial de orégano

Sodium alginate was evaluated as an encapsulating material of oregano essential oil, applying the ionic gelation technique of sodium and calcium alginate. It was studied through a bifactorial design, in which two levels were adopted for the distance of fall and for the retention times in the elaboration processes. The essential oil was obtained from dehydrated oregano of the Origanum majorana variety, using a Clevenger type apparatus. The release of the essential oil in water was quantified by spectrophotometrically determined total polyphenols according to the Folin-Ciocalteau procedure. The evaluating sodium alginate as encapsulant material indicated that capsules with higher content of essential oil were obtained by process a greater distance and shorter retention time. It was concluded which sodium alginate is suitable for constituting oregano essential oil capsules and could be included in food products.