Microencapsulation of Essential Oils by Interfacial Polimerization Using Polyurea as a Wall Material

Abstract

An essential oil is the volatile lipophilic component extracted from plants. Microencapsulation systems protect the essential oil from degradation and evaporation, and, at the same time, allow a sustained release. This work analyses and characterizes the oregano and sage essential oil microcapsules prepared by interfacial polymerization technique, using polyurea as wall material. Several instrumental techniques are used: optical microscopy, size particle, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Termo gravimetric analysis (TGA), spectrophotometry, antimicrobial test and chromatography. Results show that oregano and sage oil have antimicrobial properties, and their microencapsulation allows knowing that these properties remain inside the microcapsules.