In this study, microcapsules of beta-carotene produced from a simple microencapsulation apparatus were characterized. The main components of the apparatus include the bi-fluid nozzle, needle valves with flow meter, core and coating material feed tanks and compressed nitrogen tank. In order to produce microcapsules of beta-carotene, the solution of 0.25 wt% of beta-carotene in rice bran oil (i.e. core material) was fed through an inner channel of the bi-fluid nozzle at the flow rate of 0.57 and 0.87 ml/min, while the solution of 1.50 wt% of sodium alginate (i.e. coating material) was fed through an outer channel of the bi-fluid nozzle at the flow rate of 7.11, 10.03 and 14.51 ml/min. Then microcapsules were hardened in 5.0 wt% of calcium chloride solution and dried in vacuum oven at 50 ํC for 5 hours. It was found that the mono-nucleus microcapsules of beta-carotene were obtained from every conditions. The core and coating material flow rates significantly affected to particle size of core material, wall thickness, moisture content, production rates, weight, size, chromametric parameters and hardness of the microcapsules (p<=0.05). An increase in flow rates of core and coating materials resulted in increasing the production rates in terms of number and total weight of the microcapsules. The chromametric parameters a* and b* were also increased with increasing the flow rates. The results also suggested that when the flow rate of core material was decreased, and the flow rate of coating material was increased, the particle size of core material, weight and size of microcapsules decreased but the wall thickness, moisture content and hardness of microcapsule increased.
