A novel system to carry and protect epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant from the green tea, is reported. The system consists of maltodextrin and gum arabic nanoparticles coated with egg-yolk l-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (Egg-PC)/stearylamine (SA) bilayers. In this study, the polysaccharide core was produced by homogenization followed by spray-drying. The lipid coating was performed by the lipid film hydration method. The polysaccharide core revealed negative zeta potential, which changed to opposite signs after lipid coating. The presence of lipid layers was evidenced by cryogenic-transmission (cryo-TEM) and scanning (cryo-SEM) electron microscopy studies. An increase in size was observed after lipid coating as determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) demonstrated that the polysaccharide core provides high resistance to mechanical strength. The lipid/particle assemblies show high retention efficiency of EGCG at physiological pH, opening the possibility of their use for delivery and controlled release of tea catechins.
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