Preparation of astaxanthin-encapsulated complex with zein and oligochitosan and its application in food processing

Recent Advances in Astaxanthin Micro/Nanoencapsulation to Improve Its Stability and Functionality as a Food Ingredient

“…Gómez-Guillén et al [ 57 ] found a good dispersion of spray-dried encapsulated shrimp lipid extract in an aqueous food matrix, such as a gelatin gel, providing a uniform and attractive red color. Similar results were found by Zhu et al [ 56 ] in a beverage food model, Jiang and Zhu [ 48 ] in vinegar and liquor, Gulzar et al [ 88 ] in milk, and Marín et al [ 87 ] in a surimi-based product. However, the increase in solubility is not always a requirement to obtain a good dispersibility and coloring capacity, as other methods rendering insoluble microcapsules or beads, such as complex coacervation or ionotropic gelation, have also shown good results, as compared to free astaxanthin—e.g., in yogurt and gelled fish product [ 59 , 101 ].…”

“…Considering the tendency towards the use of natural additives in detriment to synthetic ones and to the increasing consumer concern with the diet-health relationship, astaxanthin extracts present great potential as food ingredients. However, some intrinsic properties constrain the use of astaxanthin and astaxanthin-containing lipid extracts as food ingredients, such as instability, low solubility (limiting dispersion in food matrices, bioaccessibility and/or bioavailability), difficult dosage and manipulation, and, in the case of crustaceans or algae extracts, intense odor and flavor [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Encapsulation involves the coating or entrapment of a pure material or a mixture (known as a core material or active compound) into another material (called the capsule, wall, or shell).…”

“…Improvements in astaxanthin stability against detrimental factors, such as light, oxygen, oxidants such as Fe 3+ , pH, or thermal treatments were also found by using other encapsulation methods during in vitro assays ( Table 1 ) [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 59 , 61 ]. Comparing works is quite difficult because of the variety of encapsulation methods, wall materials, astaxanthin extract origin, and assay conditions and methodologies; however, the amount of work published demonstrates the efficacy of encapsulation technologies to partially protect astaxanthin from external detrimental factors.…”

“…Similar results were obtained by Liu et al [ 82 ], who found that multilayer-coated emulsions improved the chemical stability of encapsulated astaxanthin, as well as the aggregation stability of the lipid droplets at elevated ionic strengths and temperatures. Regarding applications in food products, encapsulated astaxanthin extract from P. rhodozyma by a modified emulsification-evaporation process has shown astaxanthin retention after 4 weeks of storage at 25 °C when added to liquor, rice or apple vinegar [ 48 ]. In another study, spray-dried encapsulated shrimp extract was incorporated into the formulation of cookies, and no marked changes in EPA, DHA, and astaxanthin contents were noticeable after 12 days of storage even in the presence of light [ 97 ].…”

“…Astaxanthin water solubility is a key factor that influences not only the coloring capacity and antioxidant activity of food, but also the bioavailability when consumed. Many encapsulation methods have rendered very good astaxanthin solubility/dispersibility improvements, such as β-cyclodextrins complexation, spray-drying, ionotropic gelation, nano-precipitation protein complexation, liposome entrapment, or emulsification-evaporation [ 48 , 57 , 61 , 66 , 77 , 98 , 99 ]. They mostly employ soluble biopolymers, such as proteins, gums, or modified polysaccharides, that specifically interact with astaxanthin, as in the case of some proteins [ 77 ] or form stable emulsions in water [ 79 ].…”