Abstract
In this study, nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) were prepared using walnut oil as a liquid lipid to load phytosterols (PS). The effects of different ratios of PS to lipids on the structural and functional properties of these carriers and lipid oxidation of PS-loaded carriers were investigated. The XRD, FTIR, and DSC results indicated that NLCs formulated with walnut oil as the liquid lipid were successful in incorporating PS. These NLCs exhibited a smaller average particle size (<300 nm) and a lower PDI (<0.3), along with a higher zeta potential. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that PS5-NLC displayed the most uniform particle size distribution and excellent dispersion. Notably, NLCs demonstrate high encapsulation efficiency and antioxidant capacity. Importantly, the bioaccessibility of PS in the carriers significantly increased from 23.5% to 86.8% compared with that of pure PS. Following a storage period of 21 days, the NLCs loaded with PS showed a lipid hydroperoxide (LH) value of 32.4 mmol/L and a malondialdehyde (MDA) content of 9.9 μmol/L, which were 13.6% and 33.3% lower, respectively, than those of the carriers without PS, indicating an effective reduction in lipid oxidation. This study is first to introduce the innovative use of walnut oil as a liquid lipid for preparing NLCs. It was observed that incorporating PS not only enhanced the bioaccessibility of these compounds but also effectively mitigated lipid oxidation. Overall, this study offers valuable insights into the development of PS delivery systems and broadens the potential applications of walnut oil.
Published Version
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