Biopolymers and Colloids Laboratory, Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
J Sci Food Agric. 2013 Oct;93(13):3175-83. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.6215. Epub 2013 Jun 5.
Carotenoids, such as β-carotene, are widely used in foods and beverages as natural colorants and nutraceuticals. We investigated the influence of carrier oil composition (ratio of digestible to indigestible oil) on the physical stability, microstructure and bioaccessibility of β-carotene nanoemulsions using a simulated gastrointestinal tract model.
β-Carotene nanoemulsions (d < 150 nm) were formed by high-pressure homogenization using sucrose monoester and lysolecithin as emulsifiers, and mixtures of corn oil (digestible) and lemon oil (indigestible) as the lipid phase. All of the nanoemulsions underwent extensive droplet aggregation under mouth, stomach and small intestine conditions. The extent of free fatty acid production in the small intestine increased as the amount of digestible oil in the droplets increased. The bioaccessibility of β-carotene also increased with increasing digestible oil content, ranging from ∼5% for the pure lemon oil system to ∼76% for the pure corn oil system. This effect was attributed to the ability of mixed micelles formed from triglyceride digestion products (free fatty acids and monoglycerides) to solubilize β-carotene.
This study provides important information for developing effective delivery systems for lipophilic bioactive components in food and beverage applications.
类胡萝卜素，如β-胡萝卜素，被广泛用作天然着色剂和营养保健品，应用于食品和饮料中。本研究采用模拟胃肠道模型，研究了载体油组成（可消化油与不可消化油的比例）对β-胡萝卜素纳米乳液物理稳定性、微观结构和生物利用度的影响。
采用高剪切均质法，以蔗糖单酯和溶血卵磷脂作为乳化剂，以玉米油（可消化）和柠檬油（不可消化）的混合物作为油相，制备了粒径小于 150nm 的β-胡萝卜素纳米乳液。所有纳米乳液在口腔、胃和小肠条件下均经历了广泛的液滴聚集。随着液滴中可消化油含量的增加，小肠中游离脂肪酸的生成量增加。β-胡萝卜素的生物利用度也随可消化油含量的增加而增加，从纯柠檬油体系的约 5%到纯玉米油体系的约 76%。这种效果归因于由甘油三酯消化产物（游离脂肪酸和单甘油酯）形成的混合胶束对β-胡萝卜素的溶解能力。
本研究为开发食品和饮料中脂溶性生物活性成分的有效传递系统提供了重要信息。
