Effects of double emulsion encapsulated iron on the properties of fortified cream

Iron is one of the most important essential metals for the body's biochemical reactions and the production of blood cells. In this study, the encapsulation of iron in water in oil in water double emulsion (DE) and its application in cream were investigated. DE containing iron at a concentration of 92 ppm was prepared by two-step method and then mixed with cream (30% fat). Particle size, zeta potential, turbidity, pH, physical stability, color parameters, peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid value (TBA), morphological structure of DEs, and PV and TBA, sensory properties of cream also were evaluated. The results showed that the addition of iron to the DEs had no significant effects on the particle size, physical stability, and morphology of samples. However, the zeta potential, L* and pH values significantly decreased after the addition of iron. Moreover, turbidity, a*, b*, PV and TBA significantly increased with the addition of iron. The results of cream samples showed that the addition of encapsulated iron had lower negative effects in comparison with free iron and the sample prepared with iron fortified DE had acceptable PV and TBA values. Sensory analysis showed that the addition of encapsulated iron had no negative effects on the general acceptability. Therefore, the obtained results suggested the potential applications of DEs for encapsulation and delivery of iron in food systems.