Abstract
Lavandin essential oil has been encapsulated in poly-(E-caprolactone) (MW: 4000gmol-1) by means of the particles from gas saturated solutions (PGSS) process. The influence of process conditions, i.e., pre-expansion temperature and pressure, and oil/polymer mass ratio, on the morphology of particles and the efficiency of encapsulation has been analyzed. Spherical particles with particle sizes of 100-700m were obtained, with increasing particle sizes and more agglomeration as the oil/polymer ratio was increased. The efficiency of encapsulation was increased by conditions that favored a fast solidification of the polymer shell, including high pre-expansion pressures, reaching efficiencies up to 50% with oil loads up to 120mgoil/gparticles.