Microencapsulação de ferro por alginato de sódio via coacervação e casting.

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia affects the lives of more than 2 billion people worldwide, making it one of the most prevalent nutritional disorders in the modern world. However, iron fortification methodologies have shown inefficiency. Thus, the present research aims to find solutions that can substantially improve the effectiveness of iron supplementation. To this end, the use of sodium alginate encapsulant was studied, via casting and coacervation, which would stabilize the iron, and thus mask the residual taste of iron in edible candies. The casting encapsulation process produced films which were analyzed for parameters of water content, water permeability, solubility and mechanical properties. The powders obtained by the different processes were analyzed for water content and solubility and the edible gum was analyzed for water content, sensory analysis and purchase intent. Permeability tended to decrease when iron was added to the formulation. The mechanical parameters of the films changed when iron was added, with the tensile strength (MPa) increased and the breakage (%) decreased. The powders obtained by the two encapsulation processes had good solubility results. The iron taste of the formulations with iron 1 and 1.5% obtained by casting had averages close to that of the control sample (I liked it slightly), the sample obtained by coacervated with 2% iron (m/v) differed statistically from the control sample in terms of flavor (I disliked it slightly) and purchase intention (probably wouldn't).