Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings collection
Date of this Version
March 1990
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Microencapsulation materials and techniques have advanced significantly over the past two decades. Encapsulation techniques are now used in a wide range of products from drugs to perfumes and food fragrances. As an industry, microencapsulation had its beginning in the research laboratories of National Cash Register (NCR) in Dayton, Ohio, in the late 1930s. It came into commercial use in 1954 when carbonless copy paper was introduced on the market. The entire field has made enormous progress since that time. Microencapsulation and other associated controlled- release technology play an important role in time-release pesticides, giving them a delayed or longer action time. Microencapsulation in the simplest of terms comprises minute particles of the active product sealed by one of a variety of methods within a thin-walled sac or shell (protective coating) that is composed of chemicals different from the active ingredient. Microcapsules generally measure from 5 to 500 microns in size. As a process, microencapsulation has become a highly technical and complex scientific field unto itself and far beyond the intended scope of this paper.