Formulation of β-carotene with poly-(ε-caprolactones) by PGSS process

β-carotene is one of the most common pigments in nature. β-carotene formulations provide protection against oxidation and degradation processes. They are very attractive as natural colorants because they add value to the product due to their antioxidant and pro-vitamin activities. This work presents a study of the formulation of β-carotene with poly-(ε-caprolactone) by Particles from Gas Saturated Solutions (PGSS) process. Particle sizes in the range of 270–650 μm with a β-carotene content of up to 340 ppm were obtained using polycaprolactone with a molecular weight of 10 000 g mol− 1, while using a polycaprolactone with a molecular weight of 4000 g mol− 1 the particle size was reduced to 110–130 μm. The influence of several process parameters on particle size and β-carotene content was studied, including pressure, temperature, time of contact between CO2 and polymer melt for mixture homogenization, and molar ratio β-carotene:polymer.