The Production, Characterization, and the Stability of Carotenoids Loaded in Lipid-Core Nanocapsules

Abstract

The use of carotenoids in foods is limited due to their poor solubility in water-rich matrices, and the nanoencapsulation emerges as an alternative to allowing the solubilization and to protect the carotenoids against degradation. The aims of this study were to produce, by the interfacial deposition of the preformed polymer, to characterize, and evaluate the stability of nanocapsules obtained from a blend of β-carotene, α-carotene, and lutein (BALNs) and nanocapsules of synthetic β-carotene (BNs). The encapsulation efficiency, transmission electron microscopy, and the logarithm of the distribution of the coefficient of the BALNs and BNs, with 26 μg/mL of carotenoids, were performed after preparation. During 100 days of storage (4 °C) for the BALNs and BNs, the carotenoids retention, hydrogen potential, color, particle diameter, and the zeta potential were analyzed. The z-average and zeta potential after 100 days of storage for the BALNs and BNs were, respectively, 166.53 ± 4.71 nm/−18.37 ± 2.06 mV and 190.90 ± 7.87 nm/−9.08 ± 1.23 mV. At the end of storage, the β-carotene content was 67.62 ± 7.77 % (BALNs) and 11.69 ± 1.65 % (BNs). The β-carotene retention in the BALNs was higher than in the BNs probably due to the synergism that occurs among the compounds. Regardless of the decrease in the pH values and the b* coordinate, the formulations of the BALNs and BNs were considered physically stable during the storage. Nevertheless, beyond the physical stability, the BALNs presented a satisfactory carotenoid retention at end of storage.