The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of partially hydrolysed whey proteins to microencapsulate fish oil. Microcapsules were produced by spray-drying emulsions composed of fish oil, glucose syrup (DE38) and b-lactoglobulin or hydrolysates thereof prepared using bovine trypsin or alcalase. Hydrolysis did not negatively affect encapsulation performance during spray-drying and microencapsulation efficiency was very high for all samples (99 AE 0.5%). However, enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in reduced formation of lipid hydroperoxides for all hydrolysate-stabilised microcapsules, except for the hydrolysate produced by alcalase (3% degree of hydrolysis). Hydrolysis by trypsin resulted in a more narrow molecular weight peptide profile and an increased accessibility of antioxidant amino acids.Practical applications: Whey proteins, a by-product of the cheese industry, possess excellent nutritional properties, but have limited functional and antioxidant properties in their native form. Partial enzymatic hydrolysis can significantly enhance these properties. This study showed the excellent suitability of whey protein hydrolysates as emulsifiers in spray-dried emulsions, which can improve encapsulation capacity and stabilisation of sensitive ingredients.

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