Development of a soup powder enriched with microencapsulated linseed oil as a source of omega-3 fatty acids

The main objective of this study was to develop an optimized formulation of soup powder enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. For this purpose, the process conditions for optimizing the microencapsulation efficiency (ME) of linseed oil by spray drying were determined using the Taguchi methodology with an orthogonal array L4(23). The effect of the variables on the ME, such as wall material concentration (25 and 30%), linseed oil concentration (14 and 20%), and wall material type (gum arabic GA; and a mixture maltodextrin/GA), was evaluated. The oxidative stability of the microcapsules obtained were determined by the Rancimat method, and a morphological and size characterization of microcapsules was performed by scanning electronic microscopy, confocal microscopy, and laser diffraction. The optimization of the soup formulation was reached by means of RSM, using the central composite design, two control factors (salty taste and consistency), and 11 design points. The hedonic test was applied to measure the acceptability of the optimized formulation. Chemical characterization of optimized soup and its oxidative stability were also evaluated. This study resulted in a healthy soup enriched with omega-3 which was highly acceptable to consumers.