Effect of calcium ions on both the co-assembly of αs-casein with soy phosphatidylcholine and the novel functionality of their complex particles

Abstract

This work was primarily concerned with the effect of Ca2+ ions on the co-assembly of αS-casein with polyunsaturated soy phosphatidylcholine (PC) for the purpose of searching after the most appropriate ways for the molecular design of the health-promoting ingredients for food applications. The studied novel functionality of the formed complex nanoparticles (αs-casein + PC + Ca2+) included their abilities to behave both as the protectors for the polyunsaturated PC against oxidation and as the delivery vehicles for the controlled release of PC in the specific place of the gastrointestinal tract in-vitro. A combination of static and dynamic light scattering along with differential scanning calorimetry allowed revealing several key structural factors underlying such novel functionality of the complex nanoparticles. The basic ones are their density, architecture and the maintenance of the liposomal structure of PC in the co-assembled nanoparticles.