Vitamin A Palmitate-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes: characterization, protection and emulsification properties

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Growing interest in vitamin-enriched foods to prevent deficiency diseases.
• Challenges in incorporating poorly soluble and unstable vitamins into food matrices, especially water-based ones.
• Cyclodextrins as effective encapsulating agents for improving vitamin properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop water-soluble inclusion complexes of Vitamin A Palmitate with beta-cyclodextrins.
• To enhance the water solubility and stability of Vitamin A Palmitate.
• To assess the feasibility of using these complexes in aqueous-based food products.

Main Methods:

• Formation of inclusion complexes between Vitamin A Palmitate and beta-cyclodextrins without organic solvents.
• Evaluation of Vitamin A Palmitate stability within the complexes against temperature, oxygen, and UV light.
• Assessment of the surface activity of the resulting complexes.

Main Results:

• Successfully formed water-soluble inclusion complexes of Vitamin A Palmitate with beta-cyclodextrins.
• Demonstrated significantly increased water solubility of Vitamin A Palmitate when encapsulated.
• Showcased enhanced stability of Vitamin A Palmitate against temperature, oxygen, and UV light.
• Observed surface activity of the complex, indicating potential as an emulsion stabilizer.

Conclusions:

• Beta-cyclodextrin encapsulation is an effective method to improve Vitamin A Palmitate's water solubility and stability.
• The developed complexes are suitable for enriching aqueous food formulations.
• The complexes show potential application as stabilizers in emulsion systems.