High internal phase double emulsions stabilized by modified pea protein-alginate complexes: Application for co-encapsulation of riboflavin and β-carotene

Xiaojia Yan; Jun Yan; Xinyue Shi; Yuying Song; David Julian McClements; Cuicui Ma; Xuebo Liu; Shuai Chen; Duoxia Xu; Fuguo Liu

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132313

High internal phase double emulsions stabilized by modified pea protein-alginate complexes: Application for co-encapsulation of riboflavin and β-carotene

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 May 11;270(Pt 2):132313. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132313. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xiaojia Yan¹, Jun Yan¹, Xinyue Shi¹, Yuying Song¹, David Julian McClements², Cuicui Ma¹, Xuebo Liu¹, Shuai Chen³, Duoxia Xu⁴, Fuguo Liu⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China.
² Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, United States.
³ School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, Hubei, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, School of Food and Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Beijing 100048, China. Electronic address: xuduoxia@th.btbu.edu.cn.
⁵ College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China. Electronic address: fuguo@nwafu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38740156
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132313

Abstract

The application of many hydrophilic and hydrophobic nutraceuticals is limited by their poor solubility, chemical stability, and/or bioaccessibility. In this study, a novel Pickering high internal phase double emulsion co-stabilized by modified pea protein isolate (PPI) and sodium alginate (SA) was developed for the co-encapsulation of model hydrophilic (riboflavin) and hydrophobic (β-carotene) nutraceuticals. Initially, the effect of emulsifier type in the external water phase on emulsion formation and stability was examined, including commercial PPI (C-PPI), C-PPI-SA complex, homogenized and ultrasonicated PPI (HU-PPI), and HU-PPI-SA complex. The encapsulation and protective effects of these double emulsions on hydrophilic riboflavin and hydrophobic β-carotene were then evaluated. The results demonstrated that the thermal and storage stabilities of the double emulsion formulated from HU-PPI-SA were high, which was attributed to the formation of a thick biopolymer coating around the oil droplets, as well as thickening of the aqueous phase. Encapsulation significantly improved the photostability of the two nutraceuticals. The double emulsion formulated from HU-PPI-SA significantly improved the in vitro bioaccessibility of β-carotene, which was mainly attributed to inhibition of its chemical degradation under simulated acidic gastric conditions. The novel delivery system may therefore be used for the development of functional foods containing multiple nutraceuticals.

Keywords: High internal phase double emulsion; Pea protein isolate; Riboflavin; Sodium alginate; β-Carotene.