Preparation and characterization of quercetin/dietary fiber nanoformulations

Quercetin is well known for its beneficial health effects on the human body. However, the slow dissolution rate leading to poor bioavailability constitutes a barrier to being further developed for nutritional products. In this work, quercetin was co-precipitated with dietary fibers into a fast-dissolving nanoformulation via antisolvent precipitation, followed by spray drying. With the help of cellulose fiber, resistant starch or resistant maltodextrin, a high dissolution rate and good storage stability was achieved for quercetin nanoformulations. In addition, nanoformulations exhibited higher level of antioxidant activities in contrast to raw quercetin. The developed quercetin/dietary fiber nanoformulations could be used as supplements or functional ingredients for food development.