PHYSICOCHEMICAL, ANTIOXIDANT, AND ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CHEWING GUM ENRICHED WITH MICROENCAPSULATED MELISSA OFFICINALIS ESSENTIAL OIL USING ARABIC GUM AND KEFIRAN

Background. Gum enriched with bioactive substances has the potential to be absorbed quickly through the mouth. The present research aims to model Melissa officinalis essential oil (MOEO) microcapsules as a health-functional ingredient to enhance the quality traits of chewing gum. Materials and methods. Initially, evaluation assays were conducted on MOEO microcapsules. Subsequently, concentrations ranging from 0% to 6% were incorporated into chewing gum to investigate its physicochemical, antioxidant, antimicrobial and morphological properties. Results. The findings demonstrated a maximum microencapsulation efficiency of 96.07%, with an embedding rate of 14.13% and a release rate ranging from 0% to 75% over 20 days. These outcomes were observed in the treated samples with a coating-to-essential oil (EO) ratio varying from 1:1 to 1:6. All microcapsules were confirmed through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Antibacterial assays against Streptococcus mutants revealed that all microcapsules (at a concentration of 6400 mu g/mL EO) exhibited antibacterial activity, and the diameters of the inhibition zones increased with higher concentrations. There was no statistically significant difference in ash and moisture content between chewing gum containing microcapsules and the control sample; however, higher levels of bioactive compounds were detected in the enriched samples. Significant antioxidant activity (IC50, 31.00 mg/g) was observed in the gum sample containing 6% MOEO. All samples showed the largest inhibition zones against Staphylococcus aureus. Conclusions. Overall, the results indicated that MOEO microcapsules had a significant effect on enhancing the quality of chewing gum, suggesting their potential as a suitable matrix.