Applications of microencapsulated essential oils

1. A method for the preparation of a microencapsulated essential oil formulation, said method comprising:

(a) admixing at least one alkanoic acid with a water-immiscible liquid, wherein said water-immiscible liquid comprises at least one essential oil, thereby obtaining a water-immiscible mixture;

(b) admixing the water-immiscible mixture of step (a) with an aqueous basic solution to obtain a suspension; and

(c) admixing into the suspension of step (b) an aqueous salt solution comprising at least one multivalent cation, thereby obtaining a microencapsulated essential oil formulation, the formulation being in the form of a suspension of microcapsules in an aqueous medium, each microcapsule having a core containing at least one essential oil and an outer amphipathic shell surrounding the core.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said essential oil is selected from the group consisting of angelica oil, anise oil, bay oil, bergamot oil, bois de rose oil, cananga oil, caraway oil, cardamom oil, cedar oil, cedarwood oil, carvacrol, Chamaecyparis obtusa oil, chamomile oil, cinnamon oil, citronella oil, clove oil, copaiba balsam oil, coriander oil, cumin oil, dill oil, eucalyptus oil, fennel oil, garlic oil, geranium oil, ginger oil, grapefruit oil, guaiacwood oil, hiba oil, ho camphor oil, iris oil, Japanese mint oil, jasmine oil, lavender oil, lemon oil, lemongrass oil, lime oil, linaloe oil, lindera oil, mandarin oil, neroli oil, onion oil, orange oil, oregano oil, palmarosa oil, parsley oil, patchouli oil, pepper oil, peppermint oil, perilla oil, Peru balsam oil, petitgrain oil, pine needle oil, rose oil, rosemary oil, sandalwood oil, spearmint oil, star anis oil, tea tree oil, tea seed oil, thyme oil, thymol, tolu balsam oil, tuberose oil, meric oil, vetivert oil, western mint oil, wintergreen oil, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the essential oil is a component selected from the group consisting of alpha-terpineol, amyl cinnamic aldehyde, amyl salicylate, anisic aldehyde, benzyl alcohol, benzyl acetate, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic alcohol, carvacrol, carveol, citral, citronellal, citronellol, dimethyl salicylate, eucalyptol (cineole), eugenol, iso-eugenol, galaxolide, geraniol, guaiacol, ionone, d-limonene, menthol, methyl anthranilate, methyl ionone, methyl salicylate, alpha-phellandrene, pennyroyal oil, perillaldehyde, 1- or 2-phenyl ethyl alcohol, 1- or 2-phenyl ethyl propionate, piperonal, piperonyl acetate, piperonyl alcohol, D-pulegone, terpinen-4-ol, terpinyl acetate, 4-tert butylcyclohexyl acetate, thymol, trans-anethole, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, and any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous basic solution is an aqueous solution of at least one of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said multivalent cation is selected from the group consisting of Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Fe 2+ , and Al 3+ .

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said alkanoic acid has a melting point temperature higher than 25° C. and/or is selected amongst aliphatic acids having a carbon chain of between 10 and 45 carbon atoms.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said alkanoic acid is selected from the group consisting of decanoic acid, dodecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, eicosanoic acid, docosanoic acid, tetracosanoic acid, 11-octadecenoic acid, 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid, and an omega-3 fatty acid, wherein said omega-3 fatty acid is selected from the group consisting of alpha-linolenic acid (18:3-omega-3), octadecatetraenoic acid (18:4-omega-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5-omega-3), docosahexaenoic acid (22:6-omega-3), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5-omega-3), eicosatetraenoic acid (20:4-omega-3), uncosapentaenoic acid (21:5-omega-3), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5-omega-3) and any derivative or mixture thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said essential oils is an insect repelling essential oil and/or an insecticide essential oil, thereby obtaining an insect repellent microencapsulated essential oil formulation or an insecticide microencapsulated essential oil formulation.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding a vehicle, a barrier-forming agent, an absorbent, an emulsifier, a dispersant, a ionic or non-ionic surfactant or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding an additive selected from the group consisting of an active pharmaceutical agent, a natural or synthetic antioxidant, a food supplement, an insect growth regulator (IGR), an insecticide, an acaracide, a fungicide, a nematicide, an ectoparasiticide, a vitamin, a colorant, an odorant, a fat, a flavor, a nonvolatile natural oil or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said additive is encapsulated with said at least one essential oil, is encapsulated separately from said at least one essential oil or is not encapsulated.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein said insecticide or said insect growth regulator (IGR) is selected from the group consisting of pyriproxyphen, azadirachtin and novaluron.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein said nonvolatile natural oil is pyrethrum.