Abstract: A stable and compatible core capsule fluid and capsule shell material are desirable to increase the yield of breakable capsules for cigarette. For this purpose, an emulsification-gelation method was applied to prepare breakable capsules. The mass ratio of aqueous phase and oil phase in the liquid emulsion, the viscosity of sodium alginate, and the addition rates of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and calcium chloride were optimized with gradient experiments to achieve the effective encapsulation of the core liquid in different solvent systems. The breakable capsules for cigarettes were successfully prepared by the emulsification-gelation method. The results showed that the optimized preparation conditions were: 1) the mass ratio of the aqueous phase to oil phase was 1∶2; 2) in the aqueous phase, the mass fractions of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and calcium chloride were 0.5% and 8% respectively; 3)in the fluid formulation, the viscosity of 1% sodium alginate solution was 16 mPa·s and the addition rate of glycerin was 1.0%; 4)the product qualification rate of the breakable capsules could be easily and quickly measured with alcohol. This work provides a novel processing technology for making breakable capsules for cigarettes.