Abstract
Astaxanthin, a natural pigment carotenoid, is well known for its potential benefits to human health. However, its applications in the food industry are limited, due to its poor water-solubility and chemical instability. Six different emulsifiers were used to prepare astaxanthin-loaded emulsions, including whey protein isolate (WPI), polymerized whey protein (PWP), WPI-lecithin, PWP-lecithin, lecithin, and Tween20. The droplet size, zeta potential, storage stability, cytotoxicity, and astaxanthin uptake by Caco-2 cells were all investigated. The results showed that the droplet size of the emulsions ranged from 194 to 287 nm, depending on the type of emulsifier used. The entrapment efficiency of astaxanthin was as high as 90%. The astaxanthin-loaded emulsions showed good physicochemical stability during storage at 4 °C. The emulsifier type had a significant impact on the degradation rate of astaxanthin (p < 0.05). Cellular uptake of astaxanthin encapsulated into the emulsions was significantly higher than free astaxanthin (p < 0.05). Emulsion stabilized with WPI had the highest cellular uptake of astaxanthin (10.0 ± 0.2%), followed, in order, by that with PWP (8.49 ± 0.1%), WPI-lecithin (5.97 ± 0.1%), PWP-lecithin (5.05 ± 0.1%), lecithin (3.37 ± 0.2%), and Tween 20 (2.1 ± 0.1%). Results indicate that the whey protein-based emulsion has a high potential for improving the cellular uptake of astaxanthin.
Highlights
Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid present in various microorganisms and marine animals [1]
The emulsion stabilized by lecithin showed a larger average droplet size than that of emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate (WPI), which was in agreement with a previous study [28]
All of the astaxanthin-loaded emulsions were negatively charged, the magnitude of their electrical charge depending on the nature of the emulsifier used (Figure 1B)
Summary
Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll carotenoid present in various microorganisms and marine animals [1]. Among the commercially important microalgae, Haematococcus pluvialis is considered to be the richest source of natural astaxanthin [2]. Astaxanthin cannot be synthesized de novo in the body by mammals and must be acquired from their diet [3]. Astaxanthin supplementation may have many benefits to human health. Astaxanthin has strong antioxidant activity [4], anticancer activity, anti-inflammatory activity [5,6], and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases [7], Helicobacter pylori infections [3], UV damage, immune dysfunctions, ageing, and age-related eye diseases [8]. The utilization of carotenoids as nutraceutical ingredients into our foods is recommended [9]
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