Palladium nanoparticles supported on carbon black were encapsulated in a thin mesoporous silica layer. APTES ((3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane) was used as anchoring agent to ensure robust and homogeneous formation of a mesoporous SiO2 layer around the supported catalyst. This was confirmed by XPS, TEM, electron tomography and nitrogen physisorption measurements. The covered catalyst was tested in the oxidative dehydrogenation of glucose into gluconic acid: the high catalytic activity was maintained in comparison with uncovered catalyst, indicating that the underlying active phase was still available. In addition, the silica layer leads to high temperature stability which prevents the agglomeration of palladium nanoparticles upon sintering conditions.