Development and Characterization of Liposomal Formulations Containing Phytosterols Extracted from Canola Oil Deodorizer Distillate along with Tocopherols as Food Additives

Abstract

Phytosterols are plant sterols recommended as adjuvant therapy for hypercholesterolemia and tocopherols are well-established anti-oxidants. However, thermo-sensitivity, lipophilicity and formulation-dependent efficacy bring challenges in the development of functional foods, enriched with phytosterols and tocopherols. To address this, we developed liposomes containing brassicasterol, campesterol and β-sitosterol obtained from canola oil deodorizer distillate, along with alpha, gamma and delta tocopherol. Three approaches; thin film hydration-homogenization, thin film hydration-ultrasonication and Mozafari method were used for formulation. Validated liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was utilized to determine the entrapment efficiency of bioactives. Stability studies of liposomal formulations were conducted before and after pasteurization using high temperature short time (HTST) technique for a month. Vesicle size after homogenization and ultrasonication (<200 nm) was significantly lower than by Mozafari method (>200 nm). However, zeta potential (−9 to −14 mV) was comparable which was adequate for colloidal stability. Entrapment efficiencies were greater than 89% for all the phytosterols and tocopherols formulated by all three methods. Liposomes with optimum particle size and zeta potential were incorporated in model orange juice, showing adequate stability after pasteurization (72 °C for 15 s) for a month. Liposomes containing phytosterols obtained from canola waste along with tocopherols were developed and successfully applied as a food additive using model orange juice.

Novel Fast Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometric Quantitative Approach for the Determination of Plant-Extracted Phytosterols and Tocopherols

“…Gamma and beta tocopherols are positional isomers and were not chromatographically resolved. As such, they are quantified collectively, as previously done using gamma tocopherol as reference standard [ 39 , 58 , 59 , 60 ].…”

Nanoliposomes and Tocosomes as Multifunctional Nanocarriers for the Encapsulation of Nutraceutical and Dietary Molecules

“…The limited development to date has not been due to a lack of potential applications, but to difficulties in finding safe, low-cost ingredients and economical processing methods suitable for producing large volumes of nanoliposomes/tocosomes with batch-to-batch consistency. The recent development of Mozafari method [41,42] and pro-liposome techniques [43] offers possible solutions to many of the food processing problems. Moreover, ongoing research into the application of cost-effective commercial lecithin ingredients may lead to suitably low product costs [44].…”

Phytosterols: From Preclinical Evidence to Potential Clinical Applications

“…Briefly, PSs are biologically active molecules with multiple health applications, and increasing evidence has shown that PS activity depends on various criteria, such as formulation and solubility in the food matrix ( Schiepers et al, 2009 ; Poudel et al, 2019 ). Nonetheless, as humans cannot synthetize PSs, they should obtain them from diet ( Cabral and Klein, 2017 ).…”