Physicochemical Properties and Chemical Stability of β-Carotene Bilayer Emulsion Coated with Bovine Serum Albumin and Arabic Gum Compared to Monolayer Emulsions.

Bulei Sheng,Xue Wang,Xia Zhang,Bing Li,Hui Rong,Di Zhao,Lin Li,Wenjuan Jiao,Liting Wan

doi:10.3390/molecules23020495

Abstract

β-carotene is a lipophilic micronutrient that is considered beneficial to human health. However, there are some limitations in utilizing β-carotene in functional foods or dietary supplements currently because of its poor water dispersibility and chemical stability. A new type of β-carotene bilayer emulsion delivery system was prepared by a layer-by-layer electrostatic deposition technique, for which were chosen bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the inner emulsifier and Arabic gum (GA) as the outer emulsifier. The physicochemical properties of bilayer emulsions were mainly characterized by droplet size distribution, zeta potential, rheological behavior, Creaming Index (CI), and encapsulation ratio of β-carotene. Besides this, the effects of processing conditions (pH, thermal treatment, UV radiation, strong oxidant) and storage time on the chemical stability of bilayer emulsions were also evaluated. The bilayer emulsion had a small droplet size (221.27 ± 5.17 nm) and distribution (PDI = 0.23 ± 0.02), strong zeta potential (−30.37 ± 0.71 mV), good rheological behavior (with the highest viscosity that could reduce the possibility of flocculation) and physical stability (CI = 0), high β-carotene encapsulation ratio (94.35 ± 0.71%), and low interfacial tension (40.81 ± 0.86 mN/m). It also obtained better chemical stability under different environmental stresses when compared with monolayer emulsions studied, because it had a dense and thick bilayer structure.

Highlights

Introduction βCarotene is a carotenoid that functions as a colorant and antioxidant in foods
bovine serum albumin (BSA)/GA monolayer emulsion (GA-e) could weaken the influence of low pH, thermal treatment, UV radiation, oxidants in aqueous phase, and storage time on the chemical stability of β-carotene
BSA/GA-e can be applied in the production of some soft drinks [21]

Summary

Introduction

Carotene is a carotenoid that functions as a colorant and antioxidant in foods. It can be found in many vegetables and fruits, including carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes, broccoli, and mangoes [1]. Β-carotene is the precursor of vitamin A (retinol). An appropriate amount of β-carotene can improve our vision to decrease myopia [5] and is beneficial to embryo growth [6] by cleavage into vitamin A. The β-carotene within natural food is difficult to dissolve in water and easy to degrade [10], resulting in low bioavailability [12,13]. To enhance the bioavailability of β-carotene, it is important to prepare a stable and efficient delivery system to enhance its water dispersibility and chemical stability [14]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion