Abstract
The antisolvent precipitation method is widely applied to produce zein colloidal particles. The process involves dissolving zein in 55-90% (v/v) alcohol/water mixtures and then shearing such solutions into deionized water to lower the ethanol content. In the present work, on the basis of the preliminary result that gum arabic (GA) was able to well disperse in 70% (v/v) alcohol/water mixtures, a new way was created to produce zein-GA nanocomposites by simply mixing their aqueous alcohol solution with a high alcohol level of 70% (v/v) at pH 8.0. Findings showed that the multimodal size distribution of zein or GA alone was shifted to be the monomodal peak after zein and GA aqueous ethanol solution was mixed, indicating the successful formation of zein-GA nanocomposites. A core-shell structure was observed for zein-GA nanocomposites, with zein as a core and GA as a shell. In addition, the incorporation of GA caused the conformational and second structural changes of zein. A two-step mechanism was involved to explain the formation of zein-GA nanocomposites. The first step was that GA addition changed the polarity of zein aqueous ethanol solution and zein nanoparticles formed, and the second step was that hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions promoted the adsorption of GA onto the particle surfaces. Results in this work would provide a new sight into the design of zein-based nanocomplexes, which may have potential applications, such as constructing delivery systems, for bioactive compounds.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.