Microencapsulation of vitamin C for functional MOCAF-based noodles

Vitamin C encapsulation technology offers an effective approach to enhancing nutrient stability during the heating process in MOCAF (modified cassava flour)–substituted noodles. This study aimed to obtain an optimal microencapsulation formulation of vitamin C using maltodextrin and CMC at ratios of (18.2:1.8)%, (18.5:1.5)%, (18.8:1.2)%, (19.1:0.9)%, and (19.4:0.6)%. The optimal formulation was subsequently applied to noodles produced using wheat flour and MOCAF in a 70:30 ratio. Evaluations included encapsulation efficiency (EE), surface morphology observed through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and vitamin C content of the fortified noodles. The best formulation (18.2:1.8) achieved an EE of 85.35 ± 4.24%. SEM analysis showed microcapsules with irregular and slightly collapsed surfaces characteristic of freeze-dried powders, with continuous, non-porous matrices and no visible vitamin C crystals on the surface, indicating effective core protection and supporting the high EE value. Noodles fortified with encapsulated vitamin C exhibited significantly higher vitamin C content (0.37 ± 0.06 mg/g) compared with noodles containing non-encapsulated vitamin C. These results demonstrate that microencapsulation effectively improves vitamin C retention under processing and highlights its potential application in developing MOCAF- based functional noodles. Future work may explore production scaling, storage stability, and consumer acceptance to support broader utilization of encapsulated functional ingredients.