Impact of encapsulation on the physicochemical properties and gastrointestinal stability of fish oil

Fish oil was successfully microencapsulated with specifically designed N-lauroyl chitosan shell material employing the membrane emulsification process. The behavior of the prepared microcapsules under the simulated digestive model and their physicochemical properties were studied. The experimental digestive model indicated the stability of the microencapsulated fish oil with no sign of undesired flocculi formation or disintegration. However, the un-encapsulated fish oil was trapped upon interaction with N-lauroyl chitosan and precipitated as unstable flocculi. The thermally stable, spherically-shaped fish oil microcapsules showed very high loading capacity (53.5%), encapsulation efficiency (62.6%) and maximum cumulative oil release (76.8%). The microcapsules showed sustained release of fish oil through diffusion rather than dissolution of the shell material. The results suggest that microencapsulation of fish oil is beneficial for its delivery, stability and bioavailability in the course of oral administration and N-lauroyl chitosan is a suitable shell material.