Stability and release behavior of encapsulated flavor from spray-dried Saccharomyces cerevisiae and maltodextrin powder.

Yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), from which ß-glucans have been partially extracted, were used to encapsulate flavor inside the lipid bilayer membrane as natural encapsulant. The focus of this study was to investigate the release and stability of flavors (d-limonene and ethyl hexanoate) encapsulated in yeast cells and maltodextrin (MD) (DE = 19) by spray drying. The release behavior of encapsulated flavors from yeast cells was measured at 40, 60, 80, and 105 °C with different moisture content (0, 50, 100, and 200% of powder). Water affected flavor release from the yeast cells. The release rate constants were correlated using Gaussian distribution of the activation energy of the release rate constants. The release of d-limonene from the spray-dried MD powder showed a different trend than that of yeast cells at various temperatures. The activation energies of the release rate constant for ethyl hexanoate and d-limonene from yeast were 55 and 49 kJ/mol, respectively, under a wet condition. The formation rates of limonene oxide and carvone were slower in yeast than that of MD powder at 30 °C after 2 months.