Influence of carboxymethyl chitosan-modified pea protein isolate for the delivery of kaempferol: preparation,...

This study employs pH-driven assembly technology to construct nanocarriers using carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC)-modified pea protein isolate (PPI) for the delivery of kaempferol (K), the critical role of CMC was systematically investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful formation of CMC-PPI-K nanoparticles (241 nm) at pH 12.0 with a CMC-to-PPI ratio of 1:1 (v/v), originating hydrogen bonding between the amino groups of PPI and the hydroxyl groups of CMC, the disappearance of K's characteristic peaks in CMC-PPI-K indicated effective encapsulation, with an encapsulation efficiency of 88.5 % and a loading efficiency of 4.33 % obtained. X-ray diffraction further demonstrated K was successfully encapsulated by amorphous CMC-PPI, while thermogravimetric analysis revealed enhanced thermal stability of CMC-PPI-K (250 °C). CMC' incorporation reduced surface hydrophobicity and enhanced antioxidant capacity. In vitro digestion experiments further demonstrated CMC-PPI-K exhibited superior controlled release properties compared to PPI-K. These findings demonstrate the potential of CMC-modified protein to encapsulate, protect, and deliver hydrophobic nutraceuticals.