Encapsulation of Liquids Via Extrusion - A Review

Various encapsulation techniques are known for pharmaceutical applications. Extrusion is of minor importance. However, extrusion is used to obtain granules with encapsulate liquid active ingredients (AI) like essential oils and flavours for food applications since decades. Many of these AIs can be used for agrochemical, home care, and pharmaceutical products, too. Thus, the focus of this review is on the interdisciplinary presentation and evaluation of the available knowledge about the encapsulation process via extrusion. The desired microcapsule structure is discussed at the outset. The microcapsule is compared to the alternative glassy solid solution system, before an overview of suitable excipients is given. In the next section the development of the extrusion technique, used for encapsulation processes, is presented. Thereby, the focus is on encapsulation using twin-screw extruders. Additionally, the influence of the downstream processes on the products is discussed, too. The understanding of the physical processes during extrusion is essential for specifically adjustment of the desired product properties and thus, highlighted in this paper. Unfortunately not all processes, especially the mixing process, are well studied. Suggestions for further studies, to improve process understanding and product quality, are given, too. The last part of this review focuses on the characterization of the obtained granules, especially AI content, encapsulation efficiency, and storage stability. In conclusion, extrusion is a standard technique for flavour encapsulation, but future studies, may lead to more (pharmaceutical) applications and new products.