Food-Grade Microemulsion for High-Loading Octacosanol: Formulation Optimization, Characterization, and Biological...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nutraceutical Delivery Systems

Background:

• Octacosanol (OCT) is a bioactive compound with health benefits but limited use in beverages due to poor water solubility.
• Existing OCT delivery systems face challenges with low loading efficiency and high emulsifier concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a food-grade microemulsion (ME) for enhanced octacosanol (OCT) delivery in functional beverages.
• To achieve a high loading capacity for OCT in the microemulsion system.

Main Methods:

• Formulation optimization using pseudo-ternary phase diagrams and analysis of particle size and polydispersity index (PDI).
• Characterization of the optimized OCT-loaded microemulsion (OCT-ME), including stability and gastric protection.
• Evaluation of the biocompatibility of the developed OCT-ME system.

Main Results:

• An optimal OCT-ME formulation was achieved with 1.0% OCT loading capacity.
• The resulting OCT-ME exhibited a small particle size (10.37 nm), low PDI, and excellent stability.
• The formulation demonstrated favorable gastric OCT protection and high biocompatibility (cell viability > 90%).

Conclusions:

• The developed food-grade OCT-ME effectively addresses limitations of previous delivery systems.
• This microemulsion provides a promising solution for incorporating OCT into functional beverages.
• The study offers theoretical support for efficient OCT solubilization and delivery.