Preparation of β-lactoglobulin/gum arabic complex nanoparticles for encapsulation and controlled release of EGCG in simulated gastrointestinal digestion model

• Published in: Food chemistry 2021-08, Vol.354, p.129516-129516, Article 129516
• Main Authors: Gao, Jian, Mao, Yuezhong, Xiang, Chuyue, Cao, Mengna, Ren, Gerui, Wang, Kuiwu, Ma, Xiangjuan, Wu, Di, Xie, Hujun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidative activity; Biopolymer; Catechin - analogs & derivatives; Catechin - chemistry; Delayed-Action Preparations; Digestion; Epigallocatechin gallate; Gum Arabic - chemistry; In vitro release; Lactoglobulins - chemistry; Nanoparticle; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Particle Size; Static Electricity
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129516

•β-Lactoglobulin/gum arabic complexes were fabricated to encapsulate EGCG.•β-Lactoglobulin/gum arabic complexes exhibited good encapsulation efficiency for EGCG.•Antioxidant performance of EGCG in vitro was improved after encapsulation.•β-Lactoglobulin-gum arabic-EGCG complex nanoparticles had sustained release in a simulated gastrointestinal tract. In this work, the β-lactoglobulin/gum arabic (β-Lg-GA) complexes were prepared to encapsulate epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), forming β-Lg-GA-EGCG complex nanoparticles with an average particle size of 133 nm. The β-Lg-GA complexes exhibited excellent encapsulation efficiency (84.5%), and the antioxidant performance of EGCG in vitro was improved after encapsulation. It was recorded that 86% of EGCG could be released in simulated intestinal fluid after 3 h of digestion, much faster than that in simulated gastric fluid, indicating that the β-Lg-GA complexes were effective in enhancing EGCG stability, which was confirmed using SDS-PAGE and SEM. Further spectrum results demonstrated that various intramolecular interactions including electrostatic, hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions contribute to the formation of β-Lg-GA-EGCG complex nanoparticles. Also, XRDexperiments indicated that EGCG was successfully encapsulated by β-Lg-GA complexes. Therefore, the β-Lg-GA complexes hold great potentials in the protective delivery of sensitive bioactives.