Preparation of astaxanthin-encapsulated complex with zein and oligochitosan and its application in food processing

Abstract

In this study, a simple process was developed to encapsulate astaxanthin with zein and oligochitosan, with an encapsulation efficiency of 94.34 ± 0.64% and a loading content of 6.51 ± 0.04 mg/g. The encapsulated astaxanthin was characterized and verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and morphological observation. Encapsulation significantly improved the UV-light and storage stabilities of the astaxanthin, showing the highest stability at 4 °C with a minimum k (0.0097 week−1) and maximum half-life (71.4 weeks). Furthermore, the encapsulated astaxanthin was well dispersed in liquor, apple vinegar and rice vinegar, with a maximum solubility of 40, 73.9 and 90%, respectively, leading to a significant increase in DPPH-scavenging activity. The present study provides a simple and feasible process for encapsulation of astaxanthin to increase its UV-light and storage stabilities, suggesting great potential applications of this process in the food industry.