Na-alginate powder available in two forms (low and high molecular weight) and both are available for the preparation of Ca-alginate beads. I want to know that how it will affect the encapsulation of the phenolic acids.
I never worked specifically with the encapsulation of phenolic acids, but the efficiency of the process will rely not only on the molecular weight of the alginate, but in the characteristics of the whole process. The ratio M/G blocks and the way they are arranged in the polymer's chains is as important (or even more) than the molecular weight for a homogeneous capsule size distribution and efficient encapsulation. Check the following articles, I think they are a good read and very informative:
Article Alginate: Properties and biomedical applications
Article Preparation, characterization and applications of low-molecu...