Study of the Release Kinetics of Capsaicin Extracted from Charapita Chili (Capsicum frutescens) from an O/W Emulsion Made with Sacha Inchi Oil (Plukenetia volubilis) and Encapsulated in Calcium Alginate Beads

Capsaicin has multiple applications such as analgesic for muscle pain, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidepressant, and others. It is a lipophilic compound that produces irritation, therefore, for its application, it is necessary to encapsulate it in emulsions or biopolymers. The objective of this work was to prepare a direct O/W emulsion containing capsaicin extracted from Charapita chili (Capsicum frutescens) with Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) oil as the oil phase and encapsulated in calcium alginate beads, intending to increase the useful life of the capsaicin. Capsaicin was extracted from Charapita chili powder using ethanol, then the extract was dried for 40 min at 55 °C. To obtain the emulsion, the dry extract was dissolved in 100 mL of Sacha Inchi oil and mixed with sodium alginate by stirring at 14,000 rpm. Then, the emulsion was combined with sodium alginate by stirring at 14,000 rpm. This mixture was dripped onto 200 mL of a 0.2 M solution of calcium chloride, obtaining beads of a spherical shape. The experimental kinetic data are described with the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, where the maximum release was reached at 180 min, the value of the constant n was 0.7857, and the rate constant K was 2.95. As the constant n < 0.85, the release process was due to the diffusion and swelling of the beads. The emulsion obtained could be used to develop pharmaceutical products; moreover, the encapsulated emulsion in calcium alginate could be used in the formulation of functional foods to take advantage of the capsaicin from Charapita chili and the functional properties of the Sacha Inchi oil.