This study was carried out to optimize spray drying conditions for juniper berry essential oil (JBEO) microencapsulation. The coating material for encapsulation was a combination of maltodextrin (MD) and gum arabic (GA). The wall material content, inlet air temperature and feed flow rate were optimized to obtain small particle size and high level of powder production, with high JBEO loading and encapsulation efficiency, small powder moisture and hygroscopicity. The optimal formulation was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and used for investigation of antimicrobial and insecticidal activities. The obtained optimal conditions for JBEO microencapsulation were inlet air temperature of 140 °C, feed flow rate of 2.43 cm