| Abstrak/Abstract |
Preliminary study on microprecipitation of β-carotene in starch/chitosan/TPP matrices has been done to study the effects of the weight ratio starch/chitosan on characteristics of microprecipitation products. For this purpose, microprecipitation of β-carotene in the combination matrices of starch/chitosan/TPP were performed by dropwise addition of β-carotene in ethanol dispersion to the matrix mixture under magnetic stirrer. The matrices were prepared by blending starch, chitosan, and TPP solutions in the weight ratios of starch:chitosan of 4:1, 1:1, and 1:4. The products formed were then characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer, colorimeter, optical microscope, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) instruments. The results show that good intermolecular interactions were observed between β-carotene, starch, chitosan, and TPP. Lowering the weight ratio of starch/chitosan leads to increase the yield of microprecipitation. The effect of chitosan excess in the weight ratio of starch/chitosan was predominant to the color intensity and particle size of the microprecipitation product. These experiments suggest that the starch/chitosan/TPP combination can be considered as a potential matrix for microencapsulation of β-carotene using microprecipitation method |
