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Published on: September 20, 2017
Structural characterization, formation mechanism and stability of curcumin in zein-lecithin composite nanoparticles
Lei Dai1, Cuixia Sun1, Ruirui Li1
1Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, PR China.
Abstract:
Curcumin (Cur) exhibits a range of bioactive properties, but its application is restrained due to its poor water solubility and sensitivity to environmental stresses. In this study, zein-lecithin composite nanoparticles were fabricated by antisolvent co-precipitation technique for delivery of Cur. The result showed that the encapsulation efficiency of Cur was significantly enhanced from 42.03% in zein nanoparticles to 99.83% in zein-lecithin composite nanoparticles. The Cur entrapped in the nanoparticles was in an amorphous state confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed that hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic attraction were the main interactions among zein, lecithin, and Cur. Compared with single zein and lecithin nanoparticles, zein-lecithin composite nanoparticles significantly improved the stability of Cur against thermal treatment, UV irradiation and high ionic strength. Therefore, zein-lecithin composite nanoparticles could be a potential delivery system for water-insoluble bioactive compounds with enhanced encapsulation efficiency and chemical stability.
