Physico-Chemical Characterization of Encapsulated Fennel Essential Oil under the Influence of Spray-Drying Conditions

In this study, fennel essential oil (EO) was spray-dried, varying the wall material type (two-component blends of maltodextrin (MD), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and gum arabic (GA)), the wall material ratio (1:1, 1:3 and 3:1) and the drying temperature (120, 160 and 200 °C). A total of 27 powders were analyzed for their moisture content, solubility, hygroscopicity, bulk density and particle size, while powder recovery and oil retention were determined in terms of encapsulation efficiency. The morphology and chemical composition of the powder obtained under optimal conditions were additionally analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that all of the powders had generally good properties, exhibiting a low moisture content, high powder recovery and high oil retention. A 1:3 MD:GA mixture and a drying temperature of 200 °C were found to be optimal for the spray-drying of fennel EO, producing a powder with a low moisture content (3.25%) and high solubility (56.10%), while achieving a high powder recovery (72.66%) and oil retention (72.11%). The chemical profiles of the initial and encapsulated fennel EO showed quantitative differences without qualitative changes, with an average 24.2% decrease in the volatiles in the encapsulated EO. Finally, spray-drying proved to be a successful tool for the stabilization of fennel EO, at the same time expanding the possibilities for its further use.