Complex wall materials of polysaccharide and protein effectively protected numb‐taste substance degradation of Zanthoxylum bungeanum

BACKGROUND Hydroxyl‐sanshools are mainly responsible for the numb taste and biological activities of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, but they show low water solubility, high volatility and easy degradation, which limit their application in the catering and food industries. Thus microcapsules of Z. bungeanum essential oil (ZBEO) were prepared to prevent numb‐taste substance attenuation. RESULTS The complex effects of hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HPCD) with other materials, such as konjac glucomannan octenyl succinate (KGOS), octenyl succinic anhydride‐modified starch (OSAS), soy protein isolate (SPI) and gum arabic (GA), on the protection of the main numb‐taste substance of ZBEO were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that ZBEO was successfully encapsulated in the complex wall materials. X‐ray diffraction indicated that the loaded essential oil did not affect the crystalline form of the wall material. The stability of the numb‐taste substance α‐sanshool in the microcapsules prepared with the complex microcapsule wall materials was higher than that in single‐wall microcapsules. Storage stability evaluation indicated that microcapsules prepared with a combination of HPCD and SPI showed the greatest effect in maintaining the stability of the main numb‐taste substance α‐sanshool in ZBEO at room temperature, low pH and in high‐salt conditions. CONCLUSION Complex wall materials of polysaccharide and protein could effectively protect the numb‐taste substance degradation of Z. bungeanum during processing and storage. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry