Adsorptive precipitation of co-enzyme Q10 on PGX-processed β-glucan powder

Abstract

The recently developed Pressurized Gas eXpanded (PGX) liquid technology allows drying of high molecular weight water-soluble biopolymers, resulting in nano/micro-sized powders. The objective of this study was to investigate the adsorptive precipitation of co-enzyme Q10 (coQ10), a natural antioxidant, on PGX-processed β-glucan, an oat-derived biopolymer. CoQ10 is first solubilized in supercritical CO2, which then carries it to the PGX-processed β-glucan, resulting in the adsorptive precipitation. Different parameters, including the mode of operation (separate vs. simultaneous saturation and precipitation cycles), CO2 flow rate (70–465 mL/min), time of operation (15–90 min) and depressurization rate (0.5–13.0 MPa/min) were tested. Maximum coQ10 loading (18% w/w) was obtained after 45 min of operation at 40 °C, 30.0 MPa and 190 mL/min of CO2 flow rate, followed by a depressurization rate of 13.0 MPa/min. The two-step PGX process shows great potential for the preparation of bioactive-biopolymer delivery systems.