Hydrocolloid-based nutraceutical delivery systems: Effect of counter-ions on the encapsulation and release

Nutraceuticals provide health benefits, especially for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Their incorporation in food supplements, functional foods and medicinal foods is a major technological challenge due to lower water solubility, instability during processing and storage conditions. Carriers that can effectively overcome these predicaments and protect them during product development, consumption and delivery are in high demand. Toward this end, our research approach is to entrap nutraceuticals in the ordered networks of hydrocolloids. We have examined the effect cations in regulating the encapsulated amounts and release characteristics. Iota-carrageenan and eugenol have been chosen as models of hydrocolloid and nutraceutical, respectively, in the presence of Na and Ca ions. The results suggest that carrageenan maintains its network organization even after encapsulating the eugenol molecules. Increased eugenol amounts are found in the Na carrageenan complex compared to the Ca complex, and the release rate is faster from the former but it is more controlled from the latter. These differences highlight the vital role of cations on the encapsulation efficiency and release profiles of hydrocolloid-based nutraceutical carriers. The outcome offers an elegant opportunity for developing novel and value-added food systems employing low-in-cost, nontoxic and heavily consumed food grade hydrocolloids.