Encapsulation of sensitive components using pre-emulsification

A stabilized emulsion is employed to produce shelf stable, controlled release, discrete, solid particles or pellets which contain an encapsulated and/or embedded component, such as a readily oxidizable component, such as omega-3 fatty acids. An oil encapsulant component which contains an active, sensitive encapsulant, dissolved and/or dispersed in an oil is admixed with an aqueous component and a film-forming component to form an emulsion. An antioxidant for prevention of oxidation of the active, sensitive encapsulant, and a film-softening component or plasticizer for the film-forming component may be included in the emulsion. The emulsion is stabilized by subjecting it to homogenization. The pellets are produced by first reducing the water content of the stabilized emulsion so that the film-forming component forms a film around the oil droplets and encapsulates the encapsulant. In embodiments of the invention, the water content of the homogenized emulsion may be reduced by spray-drying to produce a powder. In other embodiments of the invention, after homogenization, the water content of the emulsion may be reduced by admixing the emulsion with at least one matrix material to thereby encapsulate the film-coated oil droplets within the matrix material. After the water content of the emulsion is reduced, a protective coating is applied on the film-coated oil droplets to obtain pellets.