Fabrication and characterization of calcium alginate beads with a specially designed magnetic pulse encapsulator

Abstract

In this study, a novel encapsulator system based on magneticfield principles was developed to produce gallic acid-loadedbeads with an adjustable particle size and high productioncapacity. A dripping device was designed and optimized usingthe response surface methodology with a central compositedesign. Alginate concentration, nozzle diameter, frequency, dis-tance, and flow rate were selected as independent variables.Bead properties, including encapsulation efficiency, productionyield, loading capacity, particle diameter, aspect ratio, circularity,sphericity, polydispersity index, span, D10, D50, and D90, valueswere evaluated as response variables. In vitro release kinetics ofthe beads were investigated. Particle shape was mainly affectedby all parameters except flow rate, while size distribution waspredominantly governed by the alginate concentration, nozzlediameter, and frequency. Bead morphology strongly affectedthe release behavior, with smaller and more spherical beadsshowing faster release rates. The developed system successfullyproduced small-sized beads with high encapsulation efficiency(up to 60.7%). These findings demonstrate the potential ofthe proposed magnetic encapsulation system for the efficientencapsulation of gallic acid and other water-soluble phenoliccompounds. Furthermore, its adaptability to multi- or inter-changeable nozzle configurations makes it suitable for pilot- orindustrial-scale production.