Physicochemical Properties of Red Salmon Oil (Oncorhynchus nerka) and Microencapsulated Red Salmon Oil Added to Baby Food

Unpurified red salmon oil (UPSO) was processed to obtain purified salmon oil (PSO) by chitosan adsorption. Both unpurified and purified oils were evaluated for peroxide value (PV), free fatty acids (FFA), fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), moisture, and color. An emulsion system containing PSO (EPSO) was prepared; the system was analyzed for color, rheological properties and microstructure before spray drying to produce microencapsulated PSO (MPSO). MPSO was analyzed for moisture, water activity, bulk density, color and FAME composition. PSO or MPSO was added to a commercial baby-food product (CB) and all baby-food samples were compared for PV, FFAs, FAME, and color. Experiments were completed in triplicate and data statistically analyzed (α = 0.05). PSO had higher percentages of total omega-3, total monounsaturated DHA, and EPA than MPSO. EPSO exhibited viscoelastic characteristic and the droplet size of EPSO was 1–9 μm. Total omega-3 and total monounsaturated contents of the MPSO were lower than PSO. All baby-food samples with added fish oils had similar color. DHA and EPA contents of baby food were increased over three fold by the addition of PSO and/or MPSO. MPSO can be added to CB resulting in increasing total percent omega-3 fatty acids while maintaining desirable attributes of the CB.