Chemistry Department, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, 0922 Manila, Philippines; Organic Materials and Interfaces Unit, CENSER, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, 0922 Manila, Philippines.
Chemistry Department, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, 0922 Manila, Philippines.
Food Res Int. 2019 May;119:15-22. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.01.053. Epub 2019 Jan 22.
Folic acid (FA) is an essential micronutrient but its delivery and bioavailability is a problem due to its inherent instability at various conditions. A robust protective encapsulation system for folic acid is highly desirable. This work reports the use of the divalent copper in complex with alginate as a strong encapsulation system for folic acid. Using gel spherification technique, hydrogels were formed upon dropwise addition of sodium alginate solution in a copper bath. In the presence of folic acid, encapsulation was achieved as evidenced by the yellow coloration, intact surface morphology (SEM), the presence of nitrogen (23.08% N; EDX), and thermal gravimetric degradation for folic acid (28% FA; TGA). The spherical hydrogels do not burst upon 2 m-drop test and remain intact at pH 1.2 with no evident release of folic acid indicating stability of the encapsulation system at the abdominal gastric condition. The copper alginate acted as gastro-resistant material and slow release of folic acid occurs only at pH > 5 especially at simulated intestinal conditions (pH 8.2). The study indicates the potential of copper alginates as a protective encapsulant to ensure stability and slow release of FA in simulated physiological pH conditions.
叶酸（FA）是一种必需的微量营养素，但由于其在各种条件下的固有不稳定性，其递送和生物利用度是一个问题。因此，非常需要一种强大的叶酸保护封装系统。本工作报道了使用二价铜与藻酸盐的络合物作为叶酸的强封装系统。使用凝胶球化技术，通过在铜浴中逐滴添加藻酸钠溶液形成水凝胶。在叶酸存在的情况下，通过黄色着色、完整的表面形态（SEM）、氮的存在（23.08% N；EDX）和叶酸的热重降解（28% FA；TGA）证明了封装的实现。球形水凝胶在 2 m 跌落测试中不会破裂，在 pH 1.2 下保持完整，没有明显的叶酸释放，表明封装系统在腹部胃条件下的稳定性。铜藻酸盐起到胃耐材料的作用，只有在 pH>5 时才会发生叶酸的缓慢释放，特别是在模拟肠道条件下（pH 8.2）。该研究表明铜藻酸盐作为一种保护封装剂具有潜力，可确保叶酸在模拟生理 pH 条件下的稳定性和缓慢释放。
