In vitro and in vivo release of carvacrol encapsulated in Ca-alginate microspheres

This study aims to evaluate if the Ca-alginate microspheres are suitable for target delivery of hydrophobic essential oils to the small intestine of young chickens. A model essential oil, carvacrol, was encapsulated using alginates of two different molecular weights and its release in simulated gastrointestinal conditions and experimental chickens were evaluated. The results indicate that carvacrol could be partially released from the alginate microspheres within the gastrointestinal tract of young chickens. Although, decrease of alginate molecular weight (MW) accelerated the release rate, further improvement is required to increase the release rate for the intend application.