In this work, the calcium alginate microcapsules containing lemon oil were prepared by emulsification-internal gelation and their potential use as aromatherapy was examined by the controlled release system. The lemon oil encapsulated in the alginate was successfully observed by Fourier transform (FT-IR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurements. Analysis of the diameters and shapes of microcapsules was conducted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mean diameters ranging from 4 to 7 um and encapsulation yield ranging from 50 to $85\%$ were obtained. The controlled release of the lemon oil at $37^{circ}$ was demonstrated by the infrared moisture determination (IMDB). It was found that the amount of released lemon oil decreased with increasing concentrations of alginate and $CaCl_2$ due to the higher the cross-linking density of the capsules prepared. The oil release from the capsule was measured as a function of physical force. We confirmed that the external factor could control the collapse of capsule wall and the release rate.