Microencapsulation technology is an innovative step towards the manufacturing of modern fragrances. Microencapsulation of fragrances combines the minimalist approach of consumers and manufacturers with the modern taste of perfumes. Apart from offering fragrances, it offers a controlled release of fragrance in response to a stimulus and a long-lasting scent.
Microencapsulation technology does everything to impress the modern consumer. In this blog, we explain microencapsulation technology and its applications in detail.
What is Microencapsulation Technology?
If we explain in simple words, microencapsulation is simply the conversion of a fragrance into small capsules. Perfume droplets are coated with a strong shell, giving them the shape of lightweight capsules.
The manufacturing of fragrance at a micrometric level is also known as microencapsulation. The average size of these fragrance capsules ranges between 1 micrometer and several millimeters, which gives you an idea of their size.
Microencapsulation technology is a protective technology. The reason is evident. The strong coating or shell around the fragrance molecules provides protection from the external environment.
Microencapsulation technology is gaining massive popularity in the perfume industry. A significant reason is that it keeps the stability of internal fragrance particles intact.
Microencapsulation technology uses a polymer material to form the shell around the fragrance particles. The selection of the material depends upon several factors. A significant factor is that the perfume ingredients should be non-reactive to the capsule material.
Now that you know about microencapsulation technology, you must wonder how to use it. The answer is simple.
Infusion.
As a result of microencapsulation, capsules appear small yet contain thousands of microscopic fragrance particles inside. The fragrance they release is short-lasting and fresh but also controlled. So, do not get dodged by the small size of the capsules.
What are the Different Methods of Microencapsulation?
Microencapsulation technology consists of several methods. Concentrating the perfume particles inside a polymer shell is a complete science. In this section, we shall examine the physical and physicochemical methods of fragrance microencapsulation.
Physical Methods
The use of mechanical methods to perform microencapsulation of small particles, known as physical microencapsulation. Physical processes are further classified into the following types:
Pan Coating:
Pan coating is among the most primitive physical methods of microencapsulation technology. This method has been widely used for ages at the industrial level, and its use in the pharmaceutical industry is very prominent.
As the name implies, this technique uses a pan and a blower. The coating pan continuously rotates while the blower’s pipe distributes the heat evenly inside the pan. Inside the pan, the coating material is slowly applied to the particles.
Air Suspension Method:
This microencapsulation technique uses a vertical air current. The air current suspension suspends the particles, which are then sprayed by a wall material solution. The solvent evaporates, leaving behind a fine coating on the particles. In this microencapsulation technique, the size of the core particles is generally significant.
Spray Drying:
Spray drying is the most widely used and versatile method in the microencapsulation technology industry. It consists of several steps. The first step is converting liquid into droplets. This step is accomplished by exposing the liquid droplets to a hot gas. The hot gas causes the solvent to evaporate and convert the liquid into dry droplets. This process is also called atomization.
A cyclone or a bag filter is used to implement this process.
Dried particles are obtained in the form of powder. The gas used in this process is inert. Most often, manufacturers use nitrogen for this purpose.
This microencapsulation technique traps an active material inside a dried particle. It is an economical microencapsulation technique.
Chemical Methods
Chemical methods of encapsulation are based on chemical reactions. In this section, we shall analyze some of the chemical methods used in microencapsulation technology.
Solvent Evaporation:
The solvent evaporation method is very common in the pharmaceutical industry. The main reason is that it allows the material to be expelled in slow intervals. The process technique is a bit complicated.
This microencapsulation technique requires the implementation of a liquid manufacturing vehicle.
- It begins with the dissolution of the coating material into a volatile solvent, which is.
- The material that is to be encapsulated is dissolved in the polymer solution.
- The core and coating material are heated in the liquid manufacturing vehicle in the next step.
- As a result, the volatile solvent evaporates. This causes the polymer material to shrink around the core material, leading to the formation of microcapsules.
Single Emulsion Method:
The single emulsion method for encapsulation is ideal for hydrophobic materials. It uses oil in the water emulsification process. This method can also be used to preserve natural oils’ fragrances.
- The first step is dissolving the polymer into the water-resistant volatile organic solvent. The drug is either dissolved or suspended in the polymer solution.
- The next step is emulsifying this whole solution into a large quantity of water. This step is carried out in the presence of an emulsifier.
- The result is the formation of compact microparticles. This is because the solvent evaporates or is mixed with a large volume of water, leaving behind the core particles and the polymer material.
Layer by Layer Deposition Technique:
Microencapsulation technology is very complex, especially when it comes to chemical methods. Fortunately, the layer-by-layer deposition method of microencapsulation is very easy to understand.
This method deposits layers of opposite charges one above the other, with wash steps in between. Various methods, such as electromagnetism, spray, spin, and immersion, can be used to implement this technique.
What is Fragrance Microencapsulation?
Applying a robust shell around the fragrance and then using it by infusing regular-use products is known as fragrance microencapsulation. Fragrance microencapsulation is accomplished by converting it into micro and Nano capsules.
What is the Process of Fragrance Encapsulation
The most common method for fragrance encapsulation is emulsion polymerization. This process begins with the dispersion of the fragrance oil into the aqueous phase, which contain s the stabilizers and emulsifiers.
The next step is the introduction of the polymerization initiator. This initiator causes the walls around the fragrance droplets to build up, leading to the formal ion of fragrance microcapsules.
The in-situ polymerization method is used for the encapsulation of liquid fragrances. The process is simple: The fragrance comes in contact with monomers, and a chemical reaction occurs. This chemical reaction c uses the shell or capsule to build around the fragrance droplets.
As mentioned before, spray drying is another method of fragrance encapsulation. A unique microencapsulation technology issol-gel encapsulation. This method neither dissolves nor disperses the fragrance droplets. Instead, it traps the fragrance particles inside a silica-based matrix. This is a versatile method of fragrance encapsulation because it is suitable for both liquid and solid fragrance encapsulation.
Advantages of Fragrance Encapsulation
Controlled Release:
A major advantage of microencapsulation technology, especially in the case of fragrances and pharmaceuticals, is controlled release. These Nano capsules need external stimuli in response to which they release the core particles or fragrance.
The external stimuli can be changes in environmental factors such as temperature, light, etc.
Protection:
The protective shell around the fragrance particles or droplets is a barrier between the particles and the external environment. The coating also acts as a protective shell. It increases the stability of the fragrance particles by protecting them from the external environment, which can include humidity, light, temperature changes, etc.
Enhancement of Fragrance Function:
A combination of microcapsules with liquid perfumes further enhances the fragrance function. Fragrance microcapsules re used widely in the laundry detergent industry. When liquid perfumes van sh after subsequent washes. Using fragrance microcapsules during washing further enhances the fragrance in the fabric and clothes.
A Revolutionary Change:
Microencapsulation of perfumes, with the ability to encapsulate and release fragrances slowly, has revolutionized the fragrance industry. Until now, we have imagined fragrances in just perfume bottles. Nobody knew that perfume and fragrances would also be available in encapsulated form.
Conserve Volatile Fragrances:
Many fragrance particles are volatile. They can disperse easily and vanish when they come in contact with the external environment. Microencapsulation technology in fragrances protects the volatility of fragrance particles and keeps them intact for a longer period of time.
Limitations of Microencapsulation Technology
Let’s have a look at some of the limitations of the microencapsulation process:
- As we have discussed and observed, no single microencapsulation process is compatible with all forms of core materials. Some are compatible with only liquid or solely sold particles, and only a few are compatible with both.
- It is difficult to achieve uniform coating around core materials. Inadequate coating can lead to many problems.
- These products have a limited shelf life.
Conclusion
Microencapsulation technology and applications are tremendous, no doubt. However, it is also advisable to study consumer preferences in this regard. Perfume consumers are used to having peculiar tastes regarding perfume packaging. The acceptance of fragrance microcapsules on a large scale is a big challenge since perfume packaging significantly attracts potential customers.
