Functional mango juice with apigenin encapsulated in spray-dried chitosan-coated liposomes: Characterisation, in-vitro gastrointestinal release, sensory acceptance, and storage stability

Abstract

Given the diverse health benefits of apigenin (AP), functional foods containing AP might interest the health-conscious market. However, the poor aqueous solubility of AP hinders its direct incorporation into food products. To overcome these limitations, AP was encapsulated in spray-dried unilamellar liposomes coated with chitosan. This study investigated the potential of spray-dried chitosan-coated AP liposomes (SCAL) for delivering AP in mango juice. The incorporation of SCAL did not alter the juice's proximate compositions or substantially affect its physicochemical properties. Mango juice with SCAL attained a comparable sensory acceptance to the control juice, with the added benefit of higher antioxidant capacity. Compared to the unencapsulated AP, SCAL exhibited a higher bioaccessibility of AP in mango juice, with a rapid release of AP during intestinal digestion. The pH values, total soluble solids, and colour properties of juice with SCAL did not change remarkably during juice storage at 4 °C for 28 days. On day 28, the retention of AP content and antioxidant capacity were higher in mango juice added with SCAL than the unencapsulated AP. Therefore, SCAL can be promising in delivering AP in aqueous food systems, making it possible to develop functional foods.