Fabrication and Characterization of Lutein-Loaded Nanoparticles Based on Zein and Sophorolipid: Enhancement of Water Solubility, Stability, and Bioaccessibility

Abstract

Lutein is a hydrophobic carotenoid with various beneficial biological activities. Its use as a functional food, however, is currently limited by its low-water solubility, chemical instability, and poor bioavailability. The purpose of this work is to fabricate lutein-loaded nanoparticles to overcome these challenges. Lutein was encapsulated in zein nanoparticles coated with sophorolipid (ZSLNPs). The properties of ZSLNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering. The results showed that the ZSLNPs were spheres with particle size around 200 nm and negative surface potentials (ζ = −54 mV). The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of the lutein in the ZSLNPs was 90.04% and 0.82%, respectively. Infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that the dominant driving forces of the ZSLNPs formation mainly included electrostatic, hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding. X-ray analysis showed that the encapsulated lutein was in an amorphous form. Circular dichroism analysis suggested that the incorporation of lutein or sophorolipid led to the change in secondary structure of zein. In addition, the ZSLNPs had good stability, redispersibility, and increased the water solubility of lutein. Furthermore, in vitro studies showed that the ZSLNPs had great biocompatibility and bioaccessibility of lutein. Overall, these findings indicated that the core/shell nanoparticles developed in the work may be suitable for encapsulating this important nutrient in functional foods.

Zein‐based microcapsule for vanillin sustained release

“…The results were in line with the literature of Yang et al that the thin shell microcapsules possess a faster release speed than that of thick shell 38 . This phenomenon is ascribed to that the increase of the shell thickness can delay the diffusion rate of the core materials into the medium out from the microcapsules 39 …”

“…38 This phenomenon is ascribed to that the increase of the shell thickness can delay the diffusion rate of the core materials into the medium out from the microcapsules. 39 The existence of polyethylene glycol on the vanillin release behavior from zein-based microcapsules was also examined. As provided in Figure 10 and Table S4, both two samples had a sudden release in the early period, which is consistent with the description in Niu's study.…”

Utilization of Nanotechnology to Improve the Handling, Storage and Biocompatibility of Bioactive Lipids in Food Applications

“…Encapsulation of lutein within sophorolipid-coated zein nanoparticles has been shown to improve the bioaccessibility of the carotenoid using a GIT model [109]. Similarly, encapsulation of lycopene into oil-in-water nanoemulsions increased carotenoid bioaccessibility, with the efficacy increasing with decreasing droplet size [110].…”

A Critical Review of the Use of Surfactant-Coated Nanoparticles in Nanomedicine and Food Nanotechnology

“…The water dispersibility of the encapsulated lutein was improved 80-fold compared to the bare lutein group. [ 425 ] Enhancement of stability of encapsulated food components Rhamnolipid Propylene glycol alginate 228 nm Curcumin In vitro gastrointestinal tract model Curcumin nanoparticles coated with rhamnolipid formed a complex with propylene glycol alginate, which increased the photostability and bioaccessibility of curcumin in an in vitro small intestine model. [ 426 ] Enhancement of stability of encapsulated food components Rhamnolipid Propylene glycol alginate 135.10 ± 2.87 nm Coenzyme Q10, Resveratrol In vitro gastrointestinal tract model Zein nanoparticles coated with rhamnolipid formed nanoparticle complexes with propylene glycol alginate.…”