Microencapsulation of volatiles by spray-drying in whey protein-based wall systems

Volatile retention during microencapsulation by spray drying was studied using whey proteins as microencapsulating agents. Ethyl butyrate (EB) and ethyl caprylate (ECY) were microencapsulated in wall systems consisting of whey protein isolate (WPI) or a 1:1 mixture of WPI and lactose ( WPI/Lac). Retention of volatiles was significantly affected by wall solids concentration (10-30%, w/w), initial ester load (10-75%, w/w, of wall solids), and by ester and wall type. Ester retention in WPI/Lac was higher than in WPI. Maximum retention levels obtained for (EB) and (ECY) during spray drying were 76 and 92%, respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of whey protein-based wall systems in microencapsulation of volatiles.