Vol. 9, Special Issue 10, Part E (2025)

The curcumin sodium alginate balls were developed using pectin to standardize the process technology for encapsulation of curcumin by spherification technique. The primary objective was to enhance the stability and bioavailability of curcumin. Curcumin balls were prepared with different concentrations of sodium alginate 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 2.5% and pectin 0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% along with 0.4% curcumin and spherified in a 0.4 M calcium chloride solution. These formulations were evaluated for the number of balls per gram, diameter, color parameters (L, a, b* values), curcumin content and total soluble solids (TSS). Sensory attributes such as color, flavor, texture, and overall acceptability were also assessed. Among the curcumin balls made with 0.75% sodium alginate and 0.75% pectin was found to be best with least number of balls per gram (11.747 g) and colour a* (2.415) and maximum value for Diameter (4.757 mm), colour L* (7.620), b* (35.492), curcumin content (0.4%) and TSS (15.156⁰B) and maximum sensory score for colour (8.213), flavour (7.863), texture (8.063) and overall acceptability (7.833). The 0.4% Curcumin encapsulated by spherification with 2.5% sodium alginate and 0.75% pectin are recommended for consumption due to their superior physical, chemical and sensory qualities.