Β-carotene Degradation Research Articles

HTST Pre-Drying Influence on Vacuum Drying Kinetics and Carrot Slices Quality Parameters Evaluation

High-temperature and short-time pre-drying followed by vacuum drying was carried out in order to dry carrot slices. In a pre-drying process, a central composite rotatable design was tested where drying air temperature (114–156C) and time (540–1,740 s) were independent variables of effective diffusivity, and water activity and rehydration capacity were dependent variables. Then absolute pressure (0.09 MPa) and drying temperature (70C) were kept constant. For rehydration capacity optimal conditions, the color and β-carotene degradation were evaluated and compared with fresh samples. The effective diffusivity values with and without shrinkage effect ranged from 5.37 × 10−12 to 6.55 × 10−11 and from 8.50 × 10−12 to 8.44 × 10−11, respectively. Water activity of dried products ranged from 0.39 to 0.44 and rehydration capacity between 58.16 and 84.40%. Dried carrot brightness values were noticed to be lower than those of fresh samples, besides the reduction of red and yellow values. The β-carotene degradation was also observed. Practical Applications In studying the drying process of biological materials, the shrinkage effect must be analyzed for a better understanding of transport phenomena. For processed products, the knowledge of shrinkage, water activity, rehydration capacity as well as property changes (color and β-carotene) caused by drying process is very important. These properties can provide an important information set to determine the process conditions in order to obtain a good quality of food, as well as their characterization and stability prediction.

Physicochemical characterisation of β-carotene emulsion stabilised by covalent complexes of α-lactalbumin with (−)-epigallocatechin gallate or chlorogenic acid

In this study the impact of covalent complexes of α-lactalbumin (α-La) with (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) or chlorogenic acid (CA) was investigated on the physicochemical properties of β-carotene oil-in-water emulsions. EGCG, or CA, was covalently linked to α-La at pH 8.0, as evidenced by increased total phenolic content and declined fluorescence intensity. Compared with those stabilised by α-La alone and α-La–CA or EGCG mixture, the emulsion stabilised by the α-La–EGCG covalent complex exhibited the least changes in particle size and transmission profiles, using a novel centrifugal sedimentation technique, indicating an improvement in the physical stability. The least degradation of β-carotene occurred in the emulsion stabilised with the α-La–EGCG covalent complex when stored at 25°C. These results implied that protein–polyphenol covalent complexes were able to enhance the physical stability of β-carotene emulsion and inhibit the degradation of β-carotene in oil-in-water emulsion, and the effect was influenced by the types of the phenolic compounds.

PENGARUH EKSTRAK TEMPE TERHADAP MEKANISME DAN LAJU PERUBAHAN ß-KAROTEN DALAM SAUS CABE

THE EFFECT OF TEMPE EXTRACT ON THE MECHANISM AND RATE OF CHANGES OF β-CAROTEN IN CHILI SAUCE Chili sauce has the potential to be used as a vehicle for vitamin A fortification in the form of β-carotene, since it can be added to various foods. However, we need information about the resistance of β-carotene in chili sauce during processing and storage. The objectives of this study are: to identify the degradation patterns of β-carotene in chili sauce which contains tempe extract in various concentration during processing and storage in room temperature, and to identify the mathematics model of β-carotene degradation. This study consists of three steps: preparing tempe extract using tempe inoculum; preparing chili sauce; and analysis of changes of β-carotene in chili sauce during processing and storage. The results of this study are: the tempe produced rendement extract of 14,18% with 3-hydroxianthranilic acid concentration of 33,5 mg/100 grams dried tempe; tempe extract was able to inhibit the changes of β-carotene in chili sauce caused by heating and storage in room temperature; β-carotene changes in chili sauce during storage in room temperature with and without tempe extract are following the null reaction order; mathematics model of β-carotene changes in chili sauce during room temperature storage can be used to determine β-carotene concentrations in storage time intervals through kinetic reaction analysis. Keywords : chili sauce, tempe extract, β-carotene, fortification

Kinetic Degradation and Storage Stability of β-Carotene Encapsulated by Freeze-Drying Using Almond Gum and Gum Arabic as Wall Materials

The purpose of this study was to evaluate almond gum as an encapsulation material for β-carotene in comparison with gum arabic and to assess the functionality of the obtained powders applying them in cake as colorant. β-carotene gum powders were prepared by freeze-drying, then the kinetic degradation as well as the surface color changes of the powders, during a storage period of 70 days, under three relative humidities (RHs): 10, 45 and 80% were studied. The degradation rate of β-carotene and the decrease in the red color were described using a first-order kinetic model. The rate of degradation of β-carotene as well as that of the red color increased as increasing RH until a value at which the samples collapsed (80% RH). Results showed that microencapsulation with almond gum offered greater protection to β-carotene compared to gum arabic, and it was observed that the powders were able to color the studied food system (cake) in a homogenous manner. Practical Applications In recent years, a growing interest was observed for new sources of biopolymers to be used in the food industry. In this work, a novel gum exudate, almond gum from Prunus dulcis, is compared with the well-established gum arabic, an exudate from Acacia senegal trees, in terms of their encapsulation abilities. Almond gum is a gum copiously exuded from the trunk, branches and fruits of P. dulcis trees, after mechanical injury and/or infection by microorganisms. It has been proved in the present study that almond gum could be used successfully as a wall material to encapsulate β-carotene by freeze-drying. Moreover, the results suggest that almond gum could be explored as a novel and potential natural wall material for use in encapsulation of active ingredients to substitute many other wall materials which are not all the time evident.

Kinetic degradation and storage stability of β-carotene encapsulated by spray drying using almond gum and gum arabic as wall materials

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of almond gum, as a novel polymer, to encapsulate β-carotene by spray drying, in comparison with gum arabic. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) was around 66% and 70% using almond gum and gum arabic, respectively, and the reconstituted emulsions had relatively higher particle sizes than the fresh emulsions. A 60-day storage period at 25°C was carried out to investigate the effect of relative humidity (RH) on the kinetic degradation and on the decrease of the color of β-carotene powders. Results showed that β-carotene and color degradations were found to fit well with a first-order kinetic model. Degradation rates increased as RH increased, until a value at which the samples become sticky and collapsed (80% RH) when the degradation rate decreased. These results could prove that collapse phenomena were responsible for the decrease of the degradation rate by decreasing the diffusion of oxygen throughout the wall materials.

Effects of antioxidants on the stability of β-Carotene in O/W emulsions stabilized by Gum Arabic.

The potential of oil-in-water emulsions as a β-carotene delivery system was examined in this study. Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing β-carotene were formed by gum arabic with α-tocopherol, tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) and ascorbyl palmitate, respectively. The influence of antioxidants on the chemical degradation of β-carotene in gum arabic stabilized emulsions was investigated at 4, 25, 45 and 65°C in the dark, respectively. An accelerated photo-oxidation test was carried out at 45°C (450W/m(2)). Moreover, β-carotene degradation rate constants (k 1-value), activation energy (E a ) and decimal reduction time (D-value) were estimated to interpret the degradation kinetics. The impact of antioxidants on the thermal stability of β-carotene in diluted emulsions was generally in the following order: α-tocopherol > TBHQ > ascorbyl palmitate. α-Tocopherol was found to be the most effective to the antioxidation of β-carotene at the concentration of 0.10wt% under light exposure. It was concluded that the stability of β-carotene in oil-in-water emulsions could be improved by the presence of different antioxidants.

Aggregate and emulsion properties of enzymatically-modified octenylsuccinylated waxy starches

Sorghum and maize waxy starches were hydrophobically modified with octenylsuccinic anhydride (OSA) and treated with enzymes before being used to emulsify β-carotene (beta,beta-carotene) and oil in water. Enzyme treatment with β-amylase resulted in emulsions that were broken (separated) earlier and suffered increased degradation of β-carotene, whereas treatment with pullulanase had little effect on emulsions. Combinations of surfactants with high and low hydrodynamic volume (Vh) indicated that there is a relationship between Vh and emulsion stability. Degree of branching (DB) had little direct influence on emulsions, though surfactants with the highest DB were poor emulsifiers due to their reduced molecular size. Results indicate that Vh and branch length (including linear components) are the primary influences on octenylsuccinylated starches forming stable emulsions, due to the increased steric hindrance from short amphiphilic branches, consistent with current understanding of electrosteric stabilization. The success of OSA-modified sorghum starch points to possible new products of interest in arid climates.

Impact of chitosan–EGCG conjugates on physicochemical stability of β-carotene emulsion

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of low-molecular-weight chitosan (LC)–(−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) conjugates on the physicochemical properties of oil-in-water emulsions incorporating β-carotene within the oil droplets. Covalent coupling of LC to EGCG was achieved by hydroxyl-free radical grafting. The physicochemical stability of β-carotene emulsions was characterized by droplet size and distribution, rheological behavior, transmission profiles using novel centrifugal sedimentation and β-carotene degradation in the emulsion during storage. β-Carotene emulsions stabilized by LC–EGCG conjugates had relatively smaller mean droplet size, more homogenous droplet size distribution and less change in centrifugal transmission profiles, indicating a substantial improvement in physical stability. Degradation of β-carotene in emulsions during storage was significantly retarded by LC–EGCG conjugates than native LC (formed without the redox pair and without EGCG) and control LC (formed with redox pair and without EGCG). These results implied that LC–EGCG conjugates were able to improve the physical stability of β-carotene emulsion and inhibit the deterioration of β-carotene in oil-in-water emulsions.

Characterization of β-carotene nanoemulsions prepared by microfluidization technique

In the present work, β-carotene nanoemulsions, as potential active ingredients for liquid food, were prepared using high pressure homogenization. The influence of different homogenizing conditions (pressure and number of cycles) and emulsifier type and concentrations on particle size parameters and content of β-carotene was investigated. The droplet size of the emulsions was found to decrease from 416.0 to 97.2 nm with increasing microfluidization pressure, number of cycles, and emulsifier concentration. The optimum conditions for preparing β-carotene nanoemulsions were determined to be homogenization pressure of 120 MPa and 3 cycles. The storage study showed that the nanoemulsions were physically stable for about 5 weeks at room temperature (25°C). β-Carotene degradation was considerably slower in WPI-stabilized nanoemulsions than in Tween 20-stabilized ones, which was attributed to the increased surface area. These results have important consequences for the design and utilization of food-grade nanoemulsions.

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase4 is a negative regulator of β-carotene content in Arabidopsis seeds.

Experimental approaches targeting carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes have successfully increased the seed β-carotene content of crops. However, linkage analysis of seed carotenoids in Arabidopsis thaliana recombinant inbred populations showed that only 21% of quantitative trait loci, including those for β-carotene, encode carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes in their intervals. Thus, numerous loci remain uncharacterized and underutilized in biofortification approaches. Linkage mapping and genome-wide association studies of Arabidopsis seed carotenoids identified CAROTENOID cleavage dioxygenase4 (CCD4) as a major negative regulator of seed carotenoid content, especially β-carotene. Loss of CCD4 function did not affect carotenoid homeostasis during seed development but greatly reduced carotenoid degradation during seed desiccation, increasing β-carotene content 8.4-fold relative to the wild type. Allelic complementation of a ccd4 null mutant demonstrated that single-nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions and deletions at the locus affect dry seed carotenoid content, due at least partly to differences in CCD4 expression. CCD4 also plays a major role in carotenoid turnover during dark-induced leaf senescence, with β-carotene accumulation again most strongly affected in the ccd4 mutant. These results demonstrate that CCD4 plays a major role in β-carotene degradation in drying seeds and senescing leaves and suggest that CCD4 orthologs would be promising targets for stabilizing and increasing the level of provitamin A carotenoids in seeds of major food crops.

Use of Multi-response Modelling to Investigate Mechanisms of β-Carotene Degradation in Dried Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato During Storage: from Carotenoids to Aroma Compounds

In order to give insight into β-carotene degradation mechanism during the storage of dried orange-fleshed sweet potato, and particularly into the role of isomers and norisoprenoids formation, multi-response kinetic modelling was applied. Determination of degradation compounds were carried out by HPLD-DAD and SPME-GC-MS as a function of time between 10 and 40 °C and at four water activities from 0.13 to 0.76. Kinetic modelling was developed assuming first-order reactions and by using mass balance. Eight compounds, namely, two isomers (9-cis- and 13-cis-β-carotene), two β-carotene epoxides (β-carotene 5,6 and 5,8 epoxide) and four volatile compounds (β-cyclocitral, β-ionone, 5,6-epoxy-β-ionone and dihydroactinidiolide), were integrated into two theoretical reaction schemes. The different models were discriminated according to goodness of fit to experimental data. This work showed that: (1) the formation of cis-isomers from β-carotene preceded oxidation, (2) β-cyclocitral arose directly from β-carotene scission while the other norisoprenoids resulted from β-carotene epoxide degradation, (3) cis-isomers were high reactive compounds. Temperature had a major influence on reaction rates k while water activities only impacted k at values under 0.51. Therefore, multi-response modelling is not only a tool to predict β-carotene degradation but a interesting way to select the appropriate degradation scheme based on the different options presented in literature.

Enhancement of microwave-assisted extraction via intermittent radiation: Extraction of carotenoids from carrot peels

Despite being regarded as waste, carrot residues contain large amounts of β-carotene, around 58±6mg/100g (d.b.), and other carotenoids. It is therefore worthwhile to search for an appropriate means to extract these carotenoids from, and hence increase the value of, the residues. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) has noted to be a promising alternative for such a purpose; however, extraction yields achievable through MAE are in many cases lower than those achievable through conventional solvent extraction. Extending the MAE time further would nevertheless result in thermal degradation of carotenoids. In this study, the use of intermittent microwave radiation at various values of the intermittency ratio, which refers to the fraction of the microwave radiation time to the total processing time in one cycle (α=1/2, 1/3 and 1/4), to allow extended MAE without causing excessive thermal degradation of β-carotene and carotenoids from carrot peels was investigated; the antioxidant activity of the extracts was also assessed. The effects of various microwave powers and solvent-to-sample ratios were also investigated. The use of α=1/4 along with appropriate microwave powers and solvent-to-sample ratios (180W/75mL:2g and 300W/150mL:2g) resulted in larger amounts of extractable β-carotene and total carotenoids as compared with the use of the corresponding continuous MAE. Prolonging the off period and subsequently turning on the microwave radiation resulted in higher antioxidant activity of the extracts in almost all cases, especially when assessed by the ABTS assay.

Transparent Dispersions of Milk-Fat-Based Nanostructured Lipid Carriers for Delivery of β-Carotene

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are possible vehicles to incorporate lipophilic bioactive compounds in transparent functional beverages. In this work, anhydrous milk fat (AMF) and Tween 80 were used to prepare NLCs using a phase-inversion temperature method, and β-carotene was used as a model lipophilic bioactive compound. The phase-inversion temperature decreased from >95 to 73 °C, when NaCl increased from 0 to 1.0 M in the aqueous phase. At 0.8 M NaCl and phase inversion by heating at 90 °C for 30 min, transparent NLC dispersions were observed at AMF levels higher than 10% (w/w), corresponding to particles smaller than ~25 nm. The NLC dispersions were dilution- and dialysis-stable and maintained turbidity and particle size during 90 days of storage at room temperature. The degradation of β-carotene encapsulated in NLCs was much reduced when compared to its encapsulation in the soybean-oil-based nanoemulsion.

Influence of pH, EDTA, α-tocopherol, and WPI oxidation on the degradation of β-carotene in WPI-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions

The aim of the present study was to examine the factors (pH, iron chelators, free radical scavengers) influencing the chemical stability of WPI-stabilized β-carotene emulsions and investigate the correlations between WPI oxidation and β-carotene degradation during the storage of emulsions. The pH of the emulsion had a significant influence on the stability of β-carotene, with rapid degradation in emulsions at low pH (3.0, 4.0) and relatively higher stability at high pH (6.0, 7.0). Addition of EDTA or α-tocopherol significantly increased the stability of β-carotene, exhibited a greater improvement at pH 7.0 compared to pH 4.0 and α-tocopherol was much more effective than EDTA. It revealed that both transition metals and free radicals induced β-carotene degradation, nevertheless free radicals were found to be the predominant mechanism of β-carotene degradation. WPI oxidation was measured by the loss of tryptophan fluorescence and increase in fluorescent protein oxidation products using fluorescence spectroscopy. The tryptophan fluorescence decreased in all samples during the storage and emulsions with more protein oxidation products exhibited greater β-carotene degradation rate, which confirmed that there existed a good correlation between the protein oxidation and β-carotene loss.

Stability of β-Carotene in Oil-in-Water Emulsions Prepared by Mixed Layer and Bilayer of Whey Protein Isolate and Beet Pectin

The addition order of mixed layers of protein and polysaccharide on oil-water interface has been shown to influence physical stability of the emulsion, but little is known about how it impacts chemical stability. Therefore, this study investigated differences in the chemical stability of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing β-carotene droplets coated by whey protein isolate (WPI)-beet pectin through direct preformed mixture (mixed emulsion) and consecutive layer-after-layer (bilayer emulsion) at pH 4.0 and 7.0. The results clearly indicated that both forms of β-carotene emulsions exhibited nearly identical degradation profiles during storage at 55°C. The stability of β-carotene in O/W emulsions could be significantly improved by the addition of iron chelator desferroxamine for both mixed and bilayer emulsions at pH 4.0, but not at pH 7.0. The addition of α-tocopherol could also significantly inhibit the β-carotene degradation for both emulsions at pH 4.0 and 7.0. However, the difference of the improved β-carotene stability between the mixed and bilayer emulsions was not significant. These results implied that the protein-polysaccharide adsorption approach in the β-carotene droplet surface did not play a major role in the degradation rate of β-carotene in O/W emulsions, and it was possible to produce emulsions through mixed and bilayer methods with the similar chemical stability of active compounds for use in a variety of food products.

Interfacial Engineering Using Mixed Protein Systems: Emulsion-Based Delivery Systems for Encapsulation and Stabilization of β-Carotene

Emulsion-based delivery systems are needed to encapsulate, protect, and deliver lipophilic bioactive components in the food, personal care, and pharmaceutical industries. The functional performance of these systems can be controlled by engineering the composition and structure of the interfacial layer coating the lipid droplets. In this study, interfacial properties were controlled using two globular proteins with widely differing isoelectric points: lactoferrin (LF: pI ≈ 8.5) and β-lactoglobulin (BLG: pI ≈ 5). Oil-in-water emulsions were prepared with different interfacial properties: [LF]-only; [BLG]-only; [LF]-[BLG]-(laminated); [BLG]-[LF]-(laminated); and [BLG/LF]-(mixed). The influence of pH, ionic strength, and temperature on the physical stability of β-carotene-enriched emulsions was investigated. [LF]-emulsions were stable to droplet aggregation from pH 2 to 9 (0 mM NaCl), but all other emulsions aggregated at intermediate pH values. [BLG]-emulsions aggregated at high salt levels (≥50 mM NaCl), but all other emulsions were stable (0 to 300 mM NaCl). [BLG/LF]-emulsions were unstable to heating (≥60 °C), but all other emulsions were stable (30 to 90 °C). Color fading due to β-carotene degradation occurred relatively quickly in [BLG]-emulsions (37 °C) but was considerably lower in all other emulsions, which was attributed to the ability of LF to bind iron or interact with β-carotene. This study provides useful information for designing emulsion-based delivery systems to encapsulate and protect bioactive lipids, such as carotenoids.

Non-stationary drying of carrot: Effect on product quality

This paper presents the results of studies concerning the quality of food materials like vegetables subjected to convective drying in non-stationary conditions. The effect of different frequencies and amplitudes of the periodically changeable drying air temperature on the quality of dried carrot (Daucus carota L.) has been investigated. The indicators of the quality such as the color change, the water activity and the retention of β-carotene were analyzed. The slices of carrot root were used as the material for experimental tests. It has been shown that the non-stationary drying carried out in a prescribed variable air temperature significantly minimized the unfavorable effects in color changes, β-carotene degradation, and decay phenomena.

Photoelectron Spectra of Some Important Biological Molecules: Symmetry-Adapted-Cluster Configuration Interaction Study

In this work, the valence vertical ionization energies (up to 5) of some important biologically active molecules including 2,4-dinitrophenol, 2,4-dinitroanisole, nicotinic acid, nicotinic acid methyl ester, nicotinamide, N,N-diethylnicotinamide, barbituric acid, uric acid, cytosine, β-carotene, and menadione were calculated in the gas phase and compared with the experimental data reported in the literature. The symmetry-adapted-cluster configuration interaction (SAC-CI) general-R method was used to calculate the ionization energies. The intensity of each ionization band was evaluated using the monopole approximation. Comparison of the calculated photoelectron spectrum of each molecule with its corresponding experimental spectra allowed for assigning the photoelectron bands by natural bonding orbital (NBO) calculations even though some of the associated bands were significantly overlapped for some molecules. Among the considered molecules, there was no agreement between the experimental and calculated photoelectron spectrum of β-carotene. The reason for this disagreement was theoretically investigated and attributed to the degradation and decomposition of β-carotene. The calculated first ionization energies of the considered molecules were correlated with their Hückel k-index to obtain Coulomb (α) and resonance (β) integrals of the Hückel molecular orbital theory for the biomolecules considered in this study. A linear correlation was found between the first ionization energy and the Hückel k-index.

Impact of lipid nanoparticle physical state on particle aggregation and β-carotene degradation: Potential limitations of solid lipid nanoparticles

The impact of carrier oil composition and physical state on the physical and chemical stability of lipid nanoparticles containing encapsulated β-carotene was investigated. Lipid nanoparticles (d<200nm) were fabricated by homogenizing lipid (cocoa butter and/or hydrogenated palm oil), surfactant (Tween 80), and water together at a temperature exceeding the melting point of the lipid phase (≈60°C), and then cooling the oil-in-water nanoemulsions formed. The physical state of the lipid nanoparticles was controlled by varying their initial composition and thermal history. Lipid nanoparticles were formed at 30°C that were either liquid or solid by using a lipid phase that contained 50% cocoa butter and 50% hydrogenated palm oil. Liquid lipid nanoparticles (LLNs) had better stability to droplet aggregation and β-carotene degradation than solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) after storage for 8days: the droplet diameter increased ≈35% for SLN and ≈1% for LLN; the color change (∆C) was ≈20 for SLN and ≈12 for LLN. These effects were attributed to the ability of the fat crystals within the lipid nanoparticles to promote partial coalescence and expulsion of carotenoids to the particle exterior. This study shows that solid lipid nanoparticles may not be better than liquid lipid nanoparticles for encapsulation of bioactive food ingredients.

Optimisation of the formulation of β-carotene loaded nanostructured lipid carriers prepared by solvent diffusion method

In this study, the optimised β-carotene loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) were prepared using the solvent diffusion method. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed in conjunction with a central composite design (CCD) to evaluate the effect of the preparation variables on particle size and β-carotene stability to optimise the NLC formulation. Quadratic polynomial was the best fitted mathematical model for the experimental results. The statistical evaluations revealed that the lipid phase concentration and the surfactant concentration had significant effect on particle size of NLC. In addition, the influence of the liquid lipid to total lipid ratio and temperature on β-carotene degradation was more important. The optimum formulations with minimum particle size (8–15nm) and low β-carotene degradation (0–3%) were derived from the fitted models and were experimentally examined which demonstrated a reasonable agreement between experimental and predicted values. Transition electron microscopy (TEM) observations exhibited spherical morphology of β-carotene loaded NLC.