β-sitosterol and Curcumin, known for their hypocholesterolemic effects, have difficulties for application in aqueous foods due to their reduced water solubility and stability. The encapsulation technique allows these compounds to be protected, resulting in increased bioavailability and bioaccessibility. This study investigated the feasibility of producing capsules using different biopolymeric coating materials through a Supercritical Fluids Extraction of Emulsions (SFEE) encapsulation process. Emulsions with homogeneous droplet sizes were processed at 40 [°C] by the SFEE method at pressures of 9 and 13 [MPa]. β-sitosterol powder was successfully encapsulated in both polycaprolactone and modified-starch matrices. Curcumin could only be encapsulated in modified starch, probably because of the highly hydrophobic nature of this compound. The resulting powders, with process efficiencies higher than 60%, were characterized by thermal, structural and morphological analyses, indicating agglomerated spherical capsules. Optimal encapsulation was at 9 [MPa] due to smaller capsule sizes, lower pressure requirements and reduced CO consumption.

中文翻译：

---

超临界流体萃取乳剂辅助封装的低胆固醇生物活性化合物


β-谷甾醇和姜黄素因其降低胆固醇作用而闻名，但由于其水溶性和稳定性降低，在水性食品中应用存在困难。封装技术可以保护这些化合物，从而提高生物利用度和生物可及性。本研究研究了通过超临界流体萃取乳液 (SFEE) 封装工艺使用不同生物聚合物涂层材料生产胶囊的可行性。通过 SFEE 方法在 9 和 13 [MPa] 的压力下在 40 [°C] 下处理具有均匀液滴尺寸的乳液。 β-谷甾醇粉末已成功封装在聚己内酯和改性淀粉基质中。姜黄素只能封装在改性淀粉中，可能是因为这种化合物具有高度疏水性。所得粉末的工艺效率高于 60%，通过热、结构和形态分析进行表征，表明其为附聚的球形胶囊。由于胶囊尺寸更小、压力要求更低并且二氧化碳消耗量减少，最佳封装压力为 9 [MPa]。