Microencapsulation of ubiquinone-10 in carbohydrate matrices for improved stability

Ubiquinone-10 (CoQ10), a vitamin-like lipophilic compound mainly used in the food and pharmaceutical industries, is vulnerable to light, oxygen and temperature. Microencapsulation of this bioactive material would protect it from such degradative effects. The present study deals with selection of a proper diluent for CoQ10 and emulsion stability followed by microencapsulation using spray drying. Microencapsulation of CoQ10 was performed using different blends of gum arabic, maltodextrin and modified starches as wall materials. The microcapsules were evaluated for the content and storage stability of CoQ10 for 6 weeks. The photostability of encapsulated CoQ10 was evaluated by exposing microcapsules to UV light for 120 min. CoQ10 microcapsules prepared using pure gum arabic as wall material had an enhanced stability at 30 ± 2 °C as well as under UV light as compared to free CoQ10, as seen from the t1/2 values of the same.