Performance of Alginate-Based Coatings in Liquid Smoke Encapsulation

Liquid smoke contains bioactive compounds such as phenols, carbonyls, and organic acids that function as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents. However, its major limitation is its high volatility, which requires protection through encapsulation. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of encapsulated liquid smoke using the coacervation technique with various coating materials, including alginate (A), alginate+gum arabic (AA), alginate+chitosan (AK), alginate+tapioca (AT), and alginate+maltodextrin (AM), as well as two drying methods, cabinet dryer (CB) and open air drying (OA). The results showed that the two factors coating material and drying method significantly affected the total phenol, total acidity, total carbonyl content, encapsulation efficiency, and loading capacity. Total phenol range from 0.75–3.20%, total acidity from 1.72– 4.33%, and total carbonyl content from 6.26–11.53%. AK combination produced the highest retention of phenols, acids, and carbonyls, as well as the highest encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity.