Microencapsulation is the process of coating a small particle of liquid, solid, or gas in a protective shell to prevent the inner core from premature degradation or dispersal. It has wide-ranging industrial, pharmaceutical, and consumer applications. One of the most common uses of microencapsulation is to prepare certain types of vitamins that have a soft outer membrane that dissolves once it is in your stomach to release the inner vitamin core. Companies use microencapsulation with products that need to be isolated from reactants, such as oxygen.
If your company makes a small product that needs special packaging to isolate it or control the rate of dispersal, microencapsulation is ...
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Microencapsulation is the process of coating a small particle of liquid, solid, or gas in a protective shell to prevent the inner core from premature degradation or dispersal. It has wide-ranging industrial, pharmaceutical, and consumer applications. One of the most common uses of microencapsulation is to prepare certain types of vitamins that have a soft outer membrane that dissolves once it is in your stomach to release the inner vitamin core. Companies use microencapsulation with products that need to be isolated from reactants, such as oxygen.
If your company makes a small product that needs special packaging to isolate it or control the rate of dispersal, microencapsulation is a useful option. The outer coating is wrapped around the inner core by a manufacturing process, such as pan-coating. Using this method, the product is tumbled in a pan, while the coating is slowly applied. The inner core is eventually released from the shell by rupturing, dissolving, or melting it.
A popular example of microencapsulation used in a consumer product is powdered laundry detergent. Some types of laundry detergent contain enzymes that can lift stains from garments. Microencapsulation of these enzymes ensures they are only released when the outer shell is dissolved in water. Read more about microencapsulation from the links on this Business.com page.