PREPARATION, OPTIMIZATION AND APPLICATION OF GINGEROLMICROCAPSULES FOR FRESH BEEF PRESERVATION

To address the challenges of instability and poor water solubility associated with gingerol as a food preservative, this study developed gingerol microcapsules using a composite wall material consisting of arabic gum (GA) and whey protein isolate (WPI) through a spray-drying technique.The physicochemical properties of the microcapsules were thoroughly investigated, and their efficacy in preserving fresh beef was evaluated.The microencapsulation conditions were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM), yielding optimal parameters as follows: wall-to-core ratio of 5.103:1 (w/w), solid content of 8.912% (wt%), GA content of 54.916% (wt%), and emulsifier content of 1.019% (wt%).Under these optimized conditions, the encapsulation efficiency of gingerol reached 71.83%, and the microcapsules demonstrated superior water solubility (94.58%).Stability and antioxidant activity assessments revealed that the microcapsules exhibited enhanced stability and antioxidant properties compared to free gingerol.Preservation tests on fresh beef indicated that the gingerol microcapsules effectively extended the shelf life of beef by 72-96 hours at room temperature.These findings suggest that gingerol microcapsules hold significant potential as a natural preservative in the food industry.