Influence of process parameters on microcapsule formation from chitosan-Type B gelatin complex coacervates

A series of chitosan/gelatin based microcapsules containing n-hexadecane was synthesized through complex phase coacervation from chitosan (CH) and type-B gelatin (GB), and crosslinked by glutaraldehyde (GTA). This research was conducted to clarify the influence of different parameters on the encapsulation process, i.e., the emulsion formation and the shell formation, using zeta potential and surface tension measurements, attenuated total reflectance (ATR), and thermal analysis such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The optimal values of biopolymer ratios (TBP), crosslinker amount, emulsion time and feeding weight ratio of core/shell polymer (RCS) were identified. The stability of the emulsion was depended on the surface activity and TBP ratio, which also affected the droplet size distribution and the thickness of the shell. Furthermore, core content, encapsulation efficiency and thermal properties of the microcapsules were related to TBP and RCS; with the lowest RCS giving the best microcapsules features.