Chapter 9: Encapsulation Techniques for Anthocyanins

In the past decade, the topic of anthocyanin encapsulation has been covered on a regular basis. This implies that there are numerous developments in addressing the challenges that come with anthocyanin encapsulation, such as rapid water dissolution and release, utilization of different anthocyanin sources and wall materials, as well as possible applications. Among the encapsulation techniques, spray drying is more commonly employed than others, especially for its ease of scale-up and simplicity of operation. Freeze drying is usually performed to minimize thermal decay and serve as a control treatment. However, other encapsulation techniques may be able to resolve issues associated with uncontrolled swelling, cost of operations, and maximizing the potential of other wall materials. This chapter explores the commonly reported encapsulation techniques, the current issues and applications of encapsulated anthocyanins, and future directions. It is hoped that the discussion will spur more developments for increased utilization of these bioactive compounds by the food industry.