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A liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry [LC-(APCI)MS] method was developed to identify and quantify the carotenoids present in fresh, pasteurized, and freeze- and spray-dried egg yolk in two independent batches. The egg yolk powders in each batch were stored in the dark for 6 months at -18 or 20 degrees C. Carotenoids were isolated by solvent extraction without saponification and analyzed by HPLC using a C(30) column coupled to a photodiode array and mass detector. The most abundant carotenoids were all-E-canthaxanthin, all-E-lutein, all-E-zeaxanthin, 9-Z-canthaxanthin, and beta-apo-8'-carotenoic acid ethyl ester. Pasteurization of the egg yolk caused no critical changes in the carotenoid content. On the contrary, drying to a dry matter of 98-99% led to higher carotenoid contents, induced by a denaturation of binding proteins, and a destabilization of the cell matrix. After the 6 months of storage, the contents of all main carotenoids in the egg yolk powder were significantly lower. The synthetic carotenoids canthaxanthin and beta-apo-8'-carotenoic acid ethyl ester showed a higher retention rate, and the greatest losses occurred within the first 8 weeks. Statistical tests (ANOVA, P < 0.05) also proved that after 26 weeks, the egg yolk powders stored at -18 degrees C showed only a slightly higher retention of carotenoids when compared to the powders stored at 20 degrees C.

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Capsaicin has known health beneficial and therapeutic properties. It is also able to enhance the permeability of drugs across epithelial tissues. Unfortunately, due to its pungency the oral administration of capsaicin is limited. To this end, we assessed the effect of nanoencapsulation of capsaicin, under the hypothesis that this would reduce its pungency. Core-shell nanocapsules with an oily core and stabilized with phospholipids were used. This system was used with or without chitosan coating. In this work, we investigated the in vitro release behavior of capsaicin-loaded formulations in different physiological media (including simulated saliva fluid). We also evaluated the influence of encapsulation of capsaicin on the cell viability of buccal cells (TR146). To study the changes in pungency after encapsulation we carried out a sensory analysis with a trained panel of 24 students. The in vitro release study showed that the systems discharged capsaicin slowly in a monotonic manner and that the chitosan coating had an effect on the release profile. The cytotoxic response of TR146 cells to capsaicin at a concentration of 500 μM, which was evident for the free compound, was reduced following its encapsulation. The sensory study revealed that a chitosan coating results in a lower threshold of perception of the formulation. The nanoencapsulation of capsaicin resulted in attenuation of the sensation of pungency significantly. However, the presence of a chitosan shell around the nanoformulations did not mask the pungency, when compared with uncoated systems.