The Improved Properties of Zein Encapsulating and Stabilizing Sacha Inchi Oil by Surfactant Combination of Lecithin and Tween 80

Sacha Inchi oil (SO) has high amounts of health-benefiting polyunsaturated fatty acids that are subject to oxidation. Encapsulating properties of zein applied to SO were studied in this work by using different amounts of Tween 80 and lecithin at a fixed mass ratio of 2:1. Oil loading and the surfactant concentration were studied at 30–50% and 5–15% of zein mass, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency of SO was 59.94–72.29% and the process yield was 93.35–96.06% after freeze drying. The SO-loaded zein microparticles (SOZMs) had a diameter of < 3.27 µm, high oxidative stability, low moisture content (< 5.12%), and mostly spherical structure. A higher surfactant concentration resulted in higher encapsulation efficiency, smaller particles, and better oxidative stability, with possible extension of shelf life up to 21 days. Additionally, some strong volatile compounds of SO, such as hexanal, 2-heptanal, 2,4-heptadienal, and 2-octenal, were not detected in the SOZMs, and the pungent odor-producing ethanone was decreased by about 20% in the SOZMs. Therefore, the present study may be significant to utilize SO for improved shelf life and quality in functional foods applications.