Soy Soluble Polysaccharide as a Nanocarrier for Curcumin

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Hydrophobic bioactive compounds like curcumin have poor water solubility and stability.
• Soy soluble polysaccharide (SSPS) is a potential carrier for improving bioactive compound delivery.
• Understanding complexation mechanisms is key to developing effective delivery systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the complexation of SSPS with curcumin at different pH levels (7.0 and 4.0).
• To characterize the physicochemical properties of the resulting SSPS-curcumin complexes.
• To evaluate the impact of complexation on curcumin's heat stability and in vitro bioaccessibility.

Main Methods:

• Complexation of SSPS and curcumin at pH 7.0 and 4.0.
• Analysis of encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity.
• Investigation of SSPS structural changes (protein denaturation and unfolding) using ethanol.
• Characterization of nanoparticle formation and morphology.
• Assessment of heat stability and in vitro bioaccessibility of curcumin.

Main Results:

• Complexation was facilitated by ethanol-induced denaturation and unfolding of the protein fraction in SSPS.
• SSPS aggregated, forming nanoparticles with curcumin encapsulated as the core.
• At pH 4.0, encapsulation efficiency reached 67.3% and loading amount was 4.49 μg/mg SSPS.
• Complexation significantly enhanced curcumin's heat stability and in vitro bioaccessibility.
• Results at pH 4.0 were superior to those at pH 7.0.

Conclusions:

• SSPS can form stable nanoparticles with curcumin, improving its properties.
• The pH significantly influences the complexation efficiency and characteristics.
• These findings support the use of SSPS as a food-grade nanocarrier for hydrophobic bioactives.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for enhancing the delivery of poorly soluble compounds in food applications.