A Review of Essential Oil Encapsulation and Controlled Release Systems for Food Industry

Encapsulation is one of the technologies that can stabilize hydrophobic or unstable substances such as essential oils, and it can further increase their applicability through the design of controlled release systems triggered by a given stimulus. However, this poses many difficulties because it requires a mechanistic understanding of the complex relationships among the capping material, the essential oil, and the stimulus. In this review, we examine the mechanisms of encapsulation and controlled release used in food industry research and their effects in the designed systems. We also evaluate the mutual influence between essential oils and encapsulation methods and propose criteria for selecting an encapsulation method. Finally, we present the factors that can act as triggers for controlled release, analyze how these factors operate in controlled release systems, and suggest directions for system development. Because such release is not limited to a single reaction but proceeds through multistep reactions, further research on the mechanisms of controlled release is needed to achieve release at the intended time.