Sweet fennel essential oil has always been used as a digestive and diuretic, especially in the form of infusions. The oil is extracted from the seeds of Foeniculum vulgare var dulce, a widespread perennial herbaceous plant. Thanks to its incredible properties, sweet fennel essential oil is ideal for the manufacturing of microcapsules to be used in the production of food supplements.

The phytotherapeutic properties of sweet fennel essential oil derive mainly from its primary component: anethole, also called trans-anethole. Rich in antioxidants, this substance offers anti-inflammatory, purifying, digestive as well as carminative properties.

The most beneficial property of sweet fennel essential oil is its effect on digestion, especially useful for patients with swelling, constipation and spastic colon problems. As this process takes place in the gastrointestinal tract, the use of dry microcapsules produced by coacervation from IPS is highly recommended.

Microencapsulation by coacervation consists in coating the active substance with a gastroresistant polymeric membrane. This means that the fennel essential oil will be transported directly into the gastro-intestinal tract, without causing any adverse reactions along the way. It is thanks to this process then that the active ingredient can carry out its beneficial reactions in the most effective way and with a prolonged release over time.

Essential oil of microencapsulated sweet fennel is ideal for the production of oral solid forms such as hard capsules and dispersible single-dose sachets. Each microcapsule also has the enormous advantage of being able to contain a concentration of oil up to 85%, for an even more optimal result.

The sweet fennel essential oil microencapsulation has another important benefit for consumers: masking the smell and taste. It is not uncommon for consumers to be bothered by the strong taste of fennel, reporting discomfort as a result. Microcapsules produced by IPS provide the solution to this problem, where a product can be taken without any obstacle or inhibition.