**3.1. Approaches**

Encapsulation is the process of constructing a functional barrier between the core and the coating material to avoid chemical and physical reactions and to maintain the biological, functional, and physico-chemical properties of the core materials. The proper choice of encapsulation technique and the coating material depends on the end use of the product and the processing conditions involved. The coating material determines the stability of the particles, the process efficiency, and the degree of core protection [8].

Since bioactive compounds has some limitations in their use, for example, induce negative organoleptic change, are highly volatile, thermally unstable, photodegradable, and therefore, they can be easily deteriorated, the use of a barrier that limits these exchanges is interesting. When encapsulated, these compounds are protected against a number of factors, such as temperature, moisture, light, oxidation, undesirable reactions with other compounds and mechanical stress during handling, processing, and storage of the final product. This leads to a prolonged shelf life and maintenance of metabolic activity for long periods of time during storage, which maintains the biological and functional characteristics of essential oils [60–62].
