Effect of inulin on structural, physicochemical, and in vitro gastrointestinal tract release properties of core-shell hydrogel beads as a delivery system for vitamin B12.

In this study, core-shell hydrogel beads were developed as a controlled-release delivery system for vitamin B12. Vitamin B12-loaded microgels (MG) were prepared using gellan gum (GG). Core-shell hydrogel beads were produced by incorporating MG into pea protein isolate (PPI) and sodium alginate (AL) matrix filled/coated with different concentrations (0 %, 1 %, 3 %, 5 %, and 10 %) of inulin (IN). Based on XRD analysis, MG was successfully incorporated into core-shell hydrogel beads. In FE-SEM and FT-IR analyses, the smoother surface and denser structure of the beads were observed as IN concentration increased due to hydrogen bonds between IN and the beads. The encapsulation efficiency increased from 68.64 % to 82.36 % as IN concentration increased from 0 % to 10 %, respectively. After exposure to simulated oral and gastric conditions, core-shell hydrogel beads exhibited a lower cumulative release than MG, and a more sustained release was observed as IN concentration increased in simulated intestinal conditions.