Gelatin and other proteins for microencapsulation

Proteins have generally become a choice ingredient in the marketplace to provide nutrition and functionality to a food product. While other major food ingredients have fallen into some disfavor by the consumer, proteins have remained a favorite. Their diverse functional properties, for example, emulsification, film formation, gelation, and oxygen barrier properties, etc., have resulted in their broad use as microencapsulation materials for the food industry. This chapter discusses the unique functional properties of proteins relative to primary microencapsulation techniques, for example, spray-drying, coacervation, and gelation.