Complex coacervation: principles, mechanisms and applications in microencapsulation

Complex coacervation is a highly promising microencapsulation technique that is extensively employed in pharmaceutical, food, agriculture and textile industries. The process involves the interaction of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes in aqueous form. High payload and high encapsulation efficiency (up to 99%), relatively lower cost of processing, ability to use food-grade shell materials and synthesis at ambient temperature makes coacervation an appropriate choice in food and agrochemical industries. Various works have been documented using different polymer systems and core-shell combinations. This review paper intends to summarize some of the recent advances in complex coacervation for use in the food and agriculture areas. Current status and future trends of plant proteins utilization for complex coacervation have been reviewed. It is expected that this review will be a useful resource for material scientists, food technologists and food engineers.