Developed and characterization of nanostructured lipid carriers containing food-grade interesterified lipid phase for food application

Abstract

The main objectives of our work were to produce new nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) from interesterified and simple lipid phases and to study the influence of lipid composition on the physical characteristics and stability of NLCs. We used conventional oils and fats already used in lipid-based foods, in addition to soy lecithin as a natural emulsifier. The NLCs were formulated using as lipid phase, simple and interesterified blends composed of soybean oil as liquid lipid and fully hydrogenated oils from palm, soybean, microalgae, and crambe as solid lipids. NLCs were produced using high-pressure homogenization. NLCs were influenced by chemical interesterification and by the composition of the solid lipid used, mainly in relation to the fatty acid chain size. NLC formulations developed with a simple lipid phase were 256–323 nm (d32) in size, with zeta potential values ranging from −36.93 to −42.87 mV after 60 days of storage. NLCs developed with the interesterified lipid phase were 250–288 nm (d32) in size, with zeta potential values ranging from −40.17 to −44.20 mV after 60 days of storage. NLCs produced with saturated fatty acids with larger chain sizes showed larger particle sizes but showed less variation in this parameter over storage. Interesterification reduced the melting temperature of NLCs, indicating decreased crystallinity and a less organized structure. Moreover, interesterification favored crystals in the β’ form, which is a positive characteristic for incorporating bioactive compounds. Thus, the systems developed in this study are innovative, mainly in terms of the composition of the NLCs, and have good potential for food applications.