Thermal and Nonthermal Encapsulation Methods

Book excerpt: Encapsulation is a topic of interest across a wide range of scientific and industrial areas, from pharmaceutics to food and agriculture, for the protection and controlled release of various substances during transportation, storage, and consumption. Since encapsulated materials can be protected from external conditions, encapsulation enhances their stability and maintains their viability. This book offers a comprehensive review of conventional and modern methods for encapsulation. It covers various thermal and nonthermal encapsulation methods applied across a number of industries, including freeze drying, spray drying, spray chilling and spray cooling, electrospinning/electrospraying, osmotic dehydration, extrusion, air-suspension coating, pan coating, and vacuum drying. The book presents basic fundamentals, principles, and applications of each method, enabling the reader to gain extended knowledge. The choice of the most suitable encapsulation technique is based on the raw materials, the required size, and the desirable characteristics of the final products.