Carbonate-beta-Cyclodextrin-Based Nanosponge as a Nanoencapsulation System for Piperine: Physicochemical Characterization

Piperine (PIP) is a nitrogenous substance whose application in food is still limited due to its low solubility in water, low bioavailability, and high pungency. Nanosponges (NS) can selectively capture, transport, and release a wide variety of substances and mask unpleasant flavors. The objective of this study was to evaluate carbonate-beta-cyclodextrin-based NS formation as a nanoencapsulation system for PIP. The NS were formed with a cyclic oligosaccharide (beta-cyclodextrin) to a cross-linker (diphenyl carbonate) at molar ratios of 1:2, 1:6, and 1:10 by the solvent method at 90, 120, and 150 degrees C for 5 h. Only molar ratios of 1:6 and 1:10 formed NS. The NS 1:6 at 90 degrees C with loading efficiency of 42.6% +/- 1.1 was the best alternative for loading PIP in the NS matrix because it had the lowest absorbance of cyclic carbonates and required the lowest amount of cross-linker in its formation. The ability of the cyclodextrin-based NS to encapsulate PIP was confirmed by FTIR studies and hyperspectral FTIR images, TGA, and DSC, showing that PIP is dispersed, not forming large clusters, or concentrating in a single zone. NS are an effective PIP encapsulation system and protect the bioactive properties of the PIP

Effect of production parameters and stress conditions on beta-carotene-loaded lipid particles produced with palm stearin and whey protein isolate

Abstract Microencapsulation is currently used by the food industry for different purposes, including the protection of ingredients against factors such as oxidation and volatilization, as well as to increase the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of nutrients. The current study aimed to encapsulate beta-carotene in solid lipid microparticles stabilized with whey protein isolate (WPI), and also investigate their integrity during storage and under stress conditions such as different ionic strengths, sucrose concentrations and thermal treatments. Solid lipid microparticles were produced using palm stearin, a food grade vegetable fat, using a single-step high shear process. Of the different formulations used for lipid microparticle production, characterization studies showed that the greatest stability was obtained with systems produced using 1.25% (w/v) whey protein isolate, 5% (w/v) palm stearin and 0.2% (w/v) xanthan gum. This formulation was applied for the production of beta-carotene-loaded solid lipid microparticles, with different concentrations of alpha-tocopherol, in order to verify its possible antioxidant activity. The results showed that the addition of alpha-tocopherol to the dispersions provided an increase in encapsulation efficiency after 40 days of storage that ranged from 29.4% to 30.8% when compared to the system without it. Furthermore, the solid lipid microparticles remained stable even when submitted to high ionic strength and to heating in the proposed temperature range (40 °C to 80 °C), highlighting their feasible application under typical food processing conditions