Incorporation Of Β-carotene Research Articles

Fabrication of novel oleogel enriched with bioactive compounds and assessment of physical, chemical, and mechanical properties and storage stability

Amidst evolving dietary challenges, developing oleogels as functional foods enriched with bioactive compounds is gaining dramatic attention. The utilization of fish oil (a source of omega-3 fatty acids) in food is greatly restricted due to its susceptibility to oxidation and the study on the use of fish oil in oleogel is also scanty. β-Carotene and β-sitosterol are lipophilic compounds with several health benefits. Therefore, in this study, oleogels enriched with fish oil, β-carotene, and β-sitosterol were developed and examined for their properties. Oleogels were developed from a basic formula comprising a blend of rice bran oil and sesame oil (4:5, w/w) and a synergistic mixture of beeswax and stearic acid (3:1, w/w) as oleogelators. Fish oil and β-sitosterol were incorporated at 10% (w/w) and 5% (w/w), respectively of the total oil mixture, while β-carotene was included at 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 % (w/w). The oils and oleogels were evaluated for their properties and storage stability in terms of rheological stability, oxidative stability, and β-carotene content until 4 months of storage. The incorporation of fish oil did not cause any significant changes in the properties of the oleogels. The incorporation of β-carotene resulted in a more uniform microstructure and increased gel strength, whereas oil binding capacity and thermal and molecular properties of the oleogels were not influenced by β-carotene. Oleogels exhibited higher oxidative stability and less β-carotene loss during storage than the oils. The incorporation of β-carotene enhanced the oxidative stability of the oleogels. The findings of this study suggested that there is a potential for preparing oleogels incorporated with bioactive compounds with good stability.

Fabrication of emulsion gels based on sonicated grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) protein as a delivery system for β-carotene: Kinetic modeling and release behavior

In this study, the release behavior and encapsulation efficiency of β-carotene in emulsion gels fabricated by sonicated grass pea protein isolate (GPPI) under simulated gastrointestinal conditions were investigated. Therefore, the emulsion gels stabilized by sonicated GPPIs (8% w/v) and corn oil (20% volume fraction and containing 0.5% w/w of β-Carotene) were induced by transglutaminase. The emulsion gels prepared by sonicated GPPIs exhibited sustained release of β-carotene. The Ritger-Peppas model best described the release behavior of β-carotene from the emulsion gels, indicating that the predominant release mechanism was non-Fickian diffusion. Sonicated GPPI-based emulsion gels exhibited higher β-carotene encapsulation efficiency (97.75%) and loading capacity, attributed to increased protein surface hydrophobicity, TGase cross-linking between ϵ-(γ-glutamyl) lysine residues, and the formation of smaller protein particles through ultrasonic treatment. Incorporation of β-carotene within emulsion gels was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Emulsion gels prepared using sonicated GPPIs at 75% amplitude demonstrated approximately fivefold improved bioaccessibility and enhanced retention of β-carotene during storage (20 days) compared to emulsion gels prepared using native GPPI. These findings suggest that structural modification of protein and gel structure can significantly affect the bioaccessibility and stability of β-carotene in the product.

Delivering β-carotene from O/W emulsion-based systems: Influence of phase ratio and carrier lipid composition

The functional performance of emulsified delivery systems depends on the nature of the ingredients, emulsifier type, bioactive compound, droplet volume fraction, and interfacial tension between the oil and aqueous phases. In this context, this study evaluated the effect of β-carotene incorporation in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions with different volume fractions of the dispersed phase (20, 40 and 60%) assessing the characteristics and in vitro digestibility of these emulsions, using palm or sunflower oil as the oil phase. The presence of the bioactive compound did not influence the rheological behavior of the emulsions, which presented Newtonian fluid behavior. However, emulsions showed higher mean droplet size with adding β-carotene and increasing the O/W ratio. In general, systems with a higher O/W ratio (40:60 and 60:40) showed excellent kinetic stability due to the limitation of droplet movement caused by the high viscosity, regardless of the oil type. Overall, palm oil emulsions showed better characteristics as delivery systems, such as smaller droplet size, better stability, and less color change after 7 days of storage than sunflower oil emulsions. Furthermore, a higher release of free fatty acids from palm oil emulsions was observed, indicating a more significant action of lipase and bile salts at the droplet interface during in vitro digestion. However, sunflower oil emulsion showed a higher bioaccessibility of β-carotene than those incorporated in palm oil one since the fat crystal network inside the palm oil droplets slowed down the β-carotene diffusion from the droplet core to the interface during the digestion process.

Effect of the Emulsifier Used in Dunaliella salina-Based Nanoemulsions Formulation on the β-Carotene Absorption and Metabolism in Rats.

Microalgae such as Dunaliella salina are a potential sustainable source of natural β-carotene due to their fast growth and high adaptability to environmental conditions. This work aims to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of β-carotene from this alga into different emulsifier-type nanoemulsions (soybean lecithin [SBL], whey protein isolate [WPI], sodium caseinate [SDC]) on its absorption, metabolization, and biodistribution in rats. Nanoemulsions formulated with different emulsifiers at 8% concentration are obtained by five cycles of microfluidization at 130mPa, then expose to an in vitro digestion or orally administer to rats. Feeding rats with nanoemulsions improves β-carotene uptake compared to control suspension, especially using SDC and WPI as emulsifiers. A greater presence of β-carotene and retinol in the intestine, plasma, and liver is observed, being the liver the tissue that shows the highest accumulation. This fact can be a consequence of the smaller droplets that protein-nanoemulsions present compared to that with SBL in the intestine of rats, which promote faster digestibility and higher β-carotene bioaccessibility (35%-50% more) according to the in vitro observations. Nanoemulsions, especially those formulated with protein emulsifiers, are effective systems for increasing β-carotene absorption, as well as retinol concentration in different rat tissues.

Oxygen Scavenger and Antioxidant LDPE/EVOH/PET-Based Films Containing β-Carotene Intended for Fried Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) Packaging: Pilot Scale Processing and Validation Studies.

The aim of this study was to develop an oxygen scavenger and antioxidant active packaging material for fried peanuts. The packaging solution, which has been made at the laboratory previously, has been developed by cast film extrusion and is composed of low-density polyethylene-ethylene vinyl alcohol-polyethylene terephthalate (LDPE/EVOH/PET)-based films containing β-carotene (CAR). In comparison with film without additive, developed film presented an orange colouring (higher L* and b* values and lower a* values) and an increase in oxygen induction time (OIt) from 4.5 to 14.1 min. The incorporation of β-carotene to the formulation also brings about a significant effect on the thermal stability as maximum degradation temperatures increased around 1%. Regarding the oxygen absorption capacity of the films, values of 1.39 ± 0.10 mL O2 per g of film at laboratory scale and 1.7 ± 0.3 mL O2 per g of multilayer (ML)/LDPE_CAR were obtained, respectively, after 3 days, proving the suitability of the packaging solutions as oxygen absorbers. To validate the packaging solution, the oxidative stability of fried peanuts packed in fabricated multilayer β-carotene bags was evaluated for 3 months at 40 °C. The hexanal content remained constant during this period. Meanwhile, peanuts packed in ML without β-carotene increased their hexanal content to 294%. This fact indicated a lower extent of oxidation in fried peanuts compared to food samples packaged in control films, suggesting the potential of ML/LDPE_CAR films as sustainable and antioxidant food packaging systems to offer protection against lipid oxidation in foods. Sensory evaluation confirmed that ML/LDPE_CAR films provided the peanut samples with an extra aroma due to the volatile degradation products of β-carotene (such as β-cyclocitral or 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-ol).

β‐Carotene of Arthrospira platensis versus vitamin C and vitamin E as a feed supplement: Effects on growth, haemato‐biochemical, immune‐oxidative stress and related gene expression of Nile tilapia fingerlings

Microalgae are one of the most important sources of natural bioactive compounds, especially those revealing antioxidant activity such as β-carotene. Thus, this study was to compare the effects of dietary Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) or Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) with β-carotene extracted from Arthrospira platensis on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) on growth, feed utilization, blood indices, antioxidant activity, non-specific immunological indices and related gene expression. Three hundred and sixty apparent healthy Nile tilapia (5.80 ± 0.286 g) were randomly distributed into four groups. Four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were performed. A control diet was compared against three experimental diets supplemented with Vitamin C (0.5 mg kg−1 diet), Vitamin E (1 g kg−1 diet) or β-carotene (0.5 g kg−1 diet) for 10 weeks. According to the results, there was no significant difference in feed intake (p > 0.05) between experimental diets. Dietary Vitamins C and E and β-carotene significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the weight gain, final body weight, protein efficiency ratio, specific growth rate and apparent protein utilization in all groups, whereas the best FCR (p = 0.017) and the highest weight gain (p = 0.007) were detected in the β-carotene diet. Fish survival rates differed significantly (p < 0.05) amongst treatments, whilst fish fed a diet supplemented with β-carotene recorded the highest survival rate. The supplemental diet with β-carotene boosted the values of the biochemical and haematological parameters (p < 0.05) compared with the control diet. The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the liver (p = 0.0560; p = 0.0032; p = 0.0353 respectively) and tilapia muscles were higher in fish fed either β-carotene or Vitamin E (p = 0.0579; p = 0.1494; p = 0.2145 respectively) than other groups. The highest values of SOD, CAT and immune globulin M-2 gene expression (p < 0.05) were found in fish fed a diet enriched with β-carotene. These results suggested that the dietary incorporation of β-carotene had a superior impact on growth performance, haemato-biochemical and immune-oxidative stress biomarkers in addition to the associated gene expression of Oreochromis niloticus.

Development of Antioxidant-Fortified Oleogel and Its Application as a Solid Fat Replacer to Muffin.

Oleogelation has recently received a great deal of attention in the food industry as a novel alternative technology that physically converts liquid oil into semi-solid gel. Since the functional characteristics of oleogels are dependent on the gelators or bioactive compounds incorporated, this study was undertaken to evaluate the rheological properties and oxidative stability of candelilla wax oleogels fortified with glycerol monostearate (GMS) and β-carotene, and also to investigate their applications to muffin as a shortening replacer. The interaction between candelilla wax and GMS contributed to strengthening the oleogel structure. The oleogels with β-carotene showed the lowest peroxide values than the other samples. The muffins prepared with oleogels for shortening had greater specific gravity and harder texture, but there was no significant difference in the specific volume between the shortening and oleogel samples with GMS. In addition, muffins with β-carotene oleogels showed the highest oxidative stability. Therefore, this study indicated that the incorporation of β-carotene and GMS in oleogels positively affected the storage stability of muffin.

Utilization of polysaccharide-based high internal phase emulsion for nutraceutical encapsulation: Enhancement of carotenoid loading capacity and stability

The main goal of the present work was to access the ability of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) to encapsulate β-carotene. The carotenoid loading capacity of the HIPEs was around 20-fold higher when OSA-starch/chitosan complexes were used than when only OSA-starch was used. This impact could be mainly assigned to the capacity of the former HIPEs to trap carotenoid caystals in a stable form. The OSA-starch/chitosan complexes were shown to absorb on the oil droplets interface and form a 3D network in the aqueous phase, which helped to prevent droplet coalescence induced by β-carotene crystal. The incorporation of β-carotene within the oil droplets enhanced its resistance to chemical degradation when exposed to heat, ultraviolet radiation, or gastrointestinal conditions. Our results provide information that may aid the design and development of edible soft solids containing high carotenoid levels, which may be applied in food and pharmaceutical industry.

Food-Grade Nanoemulsions for the Effective Delivery of β-Carotene.

Utilization of β-carotene in functional food products is limited due to chemical instability, lower water-solubility, and higher melting point. The present research was designed to formulate a nanoemulsion system for the effective delivery of β-carotene. β-Carotene was successfully incorporated into nanoemulsions using the ultrasonication method. During 60 days of storage, the droplet size of β-carotene-containing nanoemulsions varied from 112.36 to 133.9 nm at 4 °C and from 112.36 to 147.1 nm at 25 °C. The oxidation stability of olive oil was remarkably increased when incorporated into nanoemulsions. β-Carotene nanoemulsions remained stable under varying ionic strengths (50-400 mM), pH values (2-8), and freeze-thaw cycles (four). The values of turbidity and total color difference increased over time and at a higher temperature. Degradation of β-carotene was substantially slower in nanoemulsions, and the addition of antioxidants significantly increased the retention of β-carotene in nanoemulsions. These findings suggest that the ultrasonic homogenization method has potential for the preparation of β-carotene nanoemulsions with desirable properties. These nanoemulsions can be effectively used for the incorporation of β-carotene in the food and beverage industry.

Effect of oil type and β-carotene incorporation on the properties of gelatin nanoparticle-stabilized pickering emulsions

The type of oil used and the introduction of bioactive compounds could strongly influence the microstructure and physicochemical properties of Pickering emulsions, which have yet to be fully understood. Herein, oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions were stabilized by autofluorescent gelatin nanoparticles with either corn oil or medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil as references for commonly studied edible oils. The microstructure of the emulsions with changes in nanoparticle concentration, oil fraction (Φ), and oil type was investigated with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). An increase in nanoparticle concentration resulted in an increased thickness of the adsorption layers and number of droplets. Increasing Φ helped to form compact gel-like emulsions and improve the oxidation stability of the emulsions. The high oil-water interfacial tension and surface-active long-chain fatty acids of corn oil caused sparse packing droplet interfaces. Hence, corn oil emulsions were generally less stable than MCT oil emulsions, which was further demonstrated through studies of water holding capacity (WHC), long-term storage stability, and rheology. Furthermore, the incorporation of β-carotene had negative effects on the formation and stability of the emulsions, especially for corn oil emulsions. The findings in this work may have important implications for exploiting Pickering emulsion formulations in real food products.

Fabrication of β-carotene loaded glucuronoxylan-based nanostructures through electrohydrodynamic processing

Various concentrations of β-carotene (2.5–20% w/w dry mucilage weight) were loaded within Cydonia oblonga mucilage (COM) which further processed through electrohydrodynamic processing (EHP) to attain BC-Loaded nanostructures of high thermochemical stability. The BC loaded COM systems were characterized in terms of droplet size, rheological properties, surface tension, and electrical conductivity and their subsequent impacts on the morphology and physicochemical attributes of the produced nanostructures were studied. Increasing the β-carotene content, increased the viscosity and droplet size of colloidal systems but diminished their conductivity and surface tension. A transition from monomodal to bimodal size distribution was also observed at higher levels of β-carotene incorporation. In the case of EHP-produced nanostructures, scanning electron microscopy observations revealed a transition from nanoparticle to nanofiber by increasing the BC content from 2.5 to 20%. At lower concentrations of BC (2.5 and 5%) electrospraying was the dominant phenomenon that resulted in producing homogenous nanoparticles while the beaded fibers and nanofiber structures were obtained at 10 and 20% concentrations of BC, respectively. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and encapsulation efficiency of the produced nanostructures revealed successful encapsulation of BC into the COM polymer structure through EHP. The results of these assessments showed that the nano-particles comprising BC had more homogenous structure and higher encapsulated BC compared to the BC-loaded nano-fibers. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements revealed amorphous structure of the produced nanostructures. Thermogravimetric assessments corroborated the higher thermal stability of BC loaded nanostructures compared with the free BC. These results provided novel information on the ability of COM in encapsulating bioactive agents through electrohydrodynamic processing.

Self-Assembled Micelles Based on OSA-Modified Starches for Enhancing Solubility of β-Carotene: Effect of Starch Macromolecular Architecture.

Self-assembled micelles based on octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA)-modified starch were prepared to enhance the solubility of β-carotene. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was lower for OSA-modified starch with a lower molecular weight (Mw) or higher degree of substitution (DS). Above the CMC, OSA-modified starch assembled into spherical micelles with an average hydrodynamic diameter of <20 nm, as determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS). All the radii of gyration ( Rg), obtained from Guinier fitting of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data, were between 3 and 9 nm, and they were positively correlated with the Mw but negatively correlated with both the DS and the starch concentration. β-Carotene was encapsulated effectively into the starch micelles, and the concentration of β-carotene in the micelles was positively correlated with the concentration, Mw, and DS of the starch, with a maximum value of 53.14 μg/mL. The incorporation of β-carotene enlarged the hydrophobic core and induced a significant increase in the Rg of the micelles determined by SAXS, and it may have also promoted the aggregation of the micelles resulting in a marked increase in the Dh determined by DLS.

Hesperetin and Hesperidin Improved β-Carotene Incorporation Efficiency, Intestinal Cell Uptake, and Retinoid Concentrations in Tissues.

Dietary constituents can influence the bioavailability of carotenoids. This study investigated the effect of citrus flavanones on β-carotene (Bc) bioavailability using four experimental models: in vitro digestion procedure, synthetic mixed micelles, Caco-2 cell monolayers, and gavage experiments in mice. The addition of hesperetin (Hes, 25 μM) and hesperidin (Hes-G, 25 μM) standards significantly increased the incorporation efficiency of the Bc standard to 68.7 ± 3.6 and 75.2 ± 7.5% ( p < 0.05), respectively. However, the addition of naringenin (Nar, 25 μM) and naringin (Nar-G, 25 μM) standards significantly reduced the incorporation efficiency of Bc by 23.8 and 26.4%, respectively ( p < 0.05). The increases in scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) expression promoted by citrus flavanones played an important role in Bc cellular absorption in the Caco-2 cell model. Furthermore, after 3 days of gavage, four citrus flavanones (7.5 mg kg-1 day-1) increased the retinoid concentrations in tissues; in contrast, after 7 days of gavage, Nar and Nar-G significantly decreased hepatic retinoid concentrations ( p < 0.05). This finding suggested that the incorporation efficiency into micelles was the main step governing carotenoid bioavailability.

Fatty Acid Composition and Carotenoids in Raw and Grilled Tilapia GIFT Fillets Supplemented with Lycopene, β-Carotene and Lutein

This study evaluated the incorporation of β-carotene, lutein and lycopene into tilapia (genetically improved farmed tilapia, GIFT) fillets supplemented through 0, 20 and 40 days, and their influence on the fatty acid composition and nutritional quality of raw and grilled fillets. A control diet and a diet containing those carotenoids were elaborated with the same lipid source (soybean oil). For carotenoids analysis, the extraction was performed according to the literature, employing acetone and hexane. The relative intensities of m/z ratios of those carotenoids ions were obtained by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with chemical ionization at atmospheric pressure (UPLC-APCI MS/MS), and an increase of carotenoid concentration in the supplemented fillets was observed, especially after the grilling process (180 oC for 15 min). An increase in the concentration of total carotenoids in grilled fillets (75 and 35% higher than raw fillets, for 20 and 40 days of supplementation, respectively, corresponding to 8.32 and 2.42 µg β-carotene g-1 sample) was also observed. Therefore, the carotenoids promoted the stability of lipid oxidation in grilled samples; fact that can be correlated with antioxidant effect of these compounds, it can be also explained by the breakdown of carotenoids physical barrier and the conditions used in the grilling process. Moreover, acceptable n-6/n-3 indices and recommended polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (PUFA/SFA) values were observed in supplemented fillets. Consequently, lutein, β-carotene and lycopene were considered viable as additive on fish diet, since the supplementation promoted the increase of food quality, even after preparation for consumption.

Effect of sucrose concentration and pH onto the physical stability of β-carotene nanocapsules

The incorporation of β-carotene into foods has a great impact due to its important biological properties and characteristic orange color that is of great interest for applications that require a natural colorant. However, it has limitations because of its lipophilic nature. Given this problem, an effective alternative is incorporating it as a functional ingredient in nanoencapsulation form, since this presents a significant benefit compared to emulsions/nanoemulsions; namely, increased solubility in aqueous media. In this study, the physical stability of dispersions was evaluated in relation to three factors: pH, sucrose concentration and different concentrations of β-carotene nanocapsules. Samples were characterized in terms of morphology, particle size, zeta potential, colorimetry, turbidity, and diffuse reflectance. Results show that no significant aggregation was detected, as revealed by turbidity (τ∼cte) and diffuse reflectance (p > 0.05), but that significant changes in chromaticity did occur during the storage period (p < 0.05) in all samples analyzed. The particle size obtained during monitoring was always below 300 nm. Minimal changes in zeta potential in the samples was evaluated. Given that these β-carotene nanocapsules showed only minimal changes in physical stability during storage, they may represent an effective option as a component of functional beverages and foods, as well as nutraceutical products.

Encapsulation and stabilization of β-carotene by amylose inclusion complexes

In the present study, we report a novel composition based on amylose (or starch) inclusion complex with an amphiphilic material as an effective encapsulation platform technology to incorporate guests of interest. Specifically, the encapsulation of β-carotene in amylose-surfactant and amylose/starch-ascorbyl palmitate (AscP) inclusion complexes was investigated. Surfactants of different hydrophilicity/lipophilicity were selected to cover a broad range of HLB values. The formation of the inclusion complexes was characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The ability of amylose-surfactant system to encapsulate β-carotene was dependent on the HLB value of the surfactants, instead of their ability to induce inclusion complexation. The incorporation of β-carotene hindered amylose-surfactant inclusion complex formation, whereas no significant effect was observed on structural and thermal properties of starch-AscP inclusion complex in the presence of β-carotene. The X-ray diffraction pattern of amylose-AscP-β-carotene showed that β-carotene molecules did not crystallize into a separated phase and thus were suggested to be homogeneously immobilized within the polycrystalline amylose-AscP inclusion complexes. During a storage period of six weeks at 20 and 30°C, the stability of β-carotene was improved by encapsulation in starch-AscP inclusion complexes compared with that in physical mixtures of the three components.

Fortified beeswax oleogels: effect of β-carotene on the gel structure and oxidative stability.

This study was aimed at evaluating the physical conformation and oxidative stability of beeswax oleogels when fortified by the incorporation of β-carotene (complex-beeswax oleogels). Rheological evaluation showed the presence of a strengthened structural conformation in the oleogels with β-carotene in comparison with that in oleogels without β-carotene; this was verified by the increase in rheological parameters. Small angle X-ray scattering data show that the lamellar crystal structure of the oleogels with β-carotene exhibits similar d-spacings and lower radius of gyration (Rg) values for all concentrations due to the stronger oleogel network. X-ray diffraction measurements provide useful information on the crystal polymorphism type and arrangement of the internal lamellar phases of the crystals. Oil binding capacity is also affected by the incorporation of β-carotene into the oleogel and proven to be higher for the complex-beeswax oleogels, which enhances the ability of the oleogels to retain an oil phase within their crystalline network. The oxidative profiles of the complex-beeswax oleogels were studied during storage, and beeswax at the concentrations of 4, 6, and 8% revealed higher oxidative stability than that at the concentration of 2%. In this study, the possibility of tailoring the properties of oleogels is demonstrated considering the foreseen applications of oleogels in food products, such as in texturizers, as well their capacity to deliver bioactives and thus add value to food products.

β-Carotene-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers produced by solvent displacement method

Tristearin solid lipid nanoparticles and tristearin/high oleic sunflower oil nanostructured lipid carriers were produced by solvent displacement method. All conditions allowed forming polydisperse particles within nanometric range and the presence of high oleic sunflower oil did not affect the particles mean size. Nevertheless, incorporation of β-carotene reduced the particles polydispersity. Thermograms of solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers showed that sunflower oil generated a crystal order disturbance, since nanoparticles with less-organized lipid matrix were produced. Nanostructured lipid carriers exhibited an improvement of β-carotene loading capacity when compared with solid lipid nanoparticles, which enhanced with the increasing of high oleic sunflower oil content. Although total β-carotene degradation was similar for all systems, color analysis showed that the degradation of encapsulated β-carotene was lower for high sunflower oil content. Nanostructured lipid carriers exhibited advantages over the solid lipid nanoparticles, such as enhanced drug loading capacity and prevention of drug expulsion, which makes this a versatile delivery system for food applications.

Soy protein isolate as a nanocarrier for enhanced water dispersibility, stability and bioaccessibility of β-carotene.

The incorporation of β-carotene, one of the most common pigments or bioactives, into food formulations has attracted increasing interest from the food industry, due to its good nutrition and potential health effects. However, it is poorly soluble and unstable in water, which greatly limits its applications in foods. This work presented an effective approach to improve the water dispersibility, stability and even bioaccessibility of β-carotene, using soy protein isolate (SPI) to perform as effective nanocarriers for this molecule. The complexation with SPI remarkably improved the water dispersibility and stability against heating and freeze-drying of β-carotene. However, the encapsulation efficiency and stability of β-carotene in the nanocomplexes with SPI were closely dependent on the applied β-carotene-to-protein ratio, at which the complexation occurred. The best improvement of stability was observed at appropriate β-carotene-to-protein ratios, e.g. 10-20 g kg-1 . The complexation with β-carotene mainly occurred on the surface of SPI nanoparticles, through hydrophobic interactions. The complexation resulted in inter-particle aggregation, in a concentration-dependent manner. Almost all of the β-carotene molecules in the nanocomplexes could be progressively released into the aqueous phase. SPI exhibits a good potential to perform as a nanocarrier for enhanced water dispersibility, stability and bioaccessibility of β-carotene. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Heat Treatment and β-Carotene Incorporation Effect in the Interaction of β-Lactoglobulin and Carboxymethylcellulose System

Encapsulation technologies using proteins or polysaccharides can be employed with the purpose of solubilizing and protecting carotenoids. However, information on the role of protein and polysaccharide interactions is still slightly limited. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of β-carotene linked to protein β-lactoglobulin (BLG) in the interaction carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Firstly, BLG and CMC interaction was assessed by means of turbidity analysis. Based on the results of turbidity, the thermodynamic profile of BLG-CMC complexes at pH 4.0 was obtained using ITC analysis at 25 °C. Afterward, it was evaluated the effect of a thermal treatment applied to the BLG (68 °C for 50 min) in the interaction with CMC also using ITC and circular dichroism (CD). ITC and CD analysis showed that the heat treatment applied on BLG did not cause changes in molecular interactions. The binding isotherm of BLG-CMC complexes incorporated with β-carotene showed an increase in the molar ratio and a slight decrease in enthalpy of the system. Incorporation of β-carotene in the system did not significantly affect the BLG and CMC interaction, suggesting this system can be applied in food application as encapsulation.