Physico‐chemical,organoleptic, antioxidative and release characteristics of flavoured yoghurt enriched with microencapsulated Melissa officinalis essential oil

In this research, Melissa officinalis essential oil was encapsulated through ultrasonication by using different ratios of whey protein isolate/sodium caseinate as coating material. Flavoured yoghurt was generated by adding microcapsules; the release behaviour of the essential oil was characterised over a 21‐day storage period. The released essential oil was quantified by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by gas chromatography. The results showed that the antioxidative activity of yoghurt samples was increased by the incorporation of encapsulated essential oil. Therefore, the use of microcapsules containing M. officinalis essential oil could be a suitable method for producing nutraceutical foods with antioxidant properties.