Carotenoid-enriched oil preparation and stability analysis during storage: Influence of oils’ chain length and fatty acid saturation

Construction of fatty acid-ovalbumin binary complexes to improve the water dispersibility, thermal/digestive stability and bioaccessibility of lutein: A comparative study of different fatty acids

Lipids are increasingly being incorporated into delivery systems due to their ability to facilitate intestinal absorption of lipid-soluble nutrients through molecular solubilization and micellization. In this work, self-assembled complexes of ovalbumin (OVA) and nine dietary fatty acids (FAs) were constructed to improve the processability and absorbability of lutein (LUT). Results showed that all FAs could form stable hydrophilic particles with OVA under the optimized ultrasound-coupled pH conditions. Fourier infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that these binary complexes effectively encapsulated LUT with an encapsulation rate > 90.0 %. Stability experiments showed that these complexes protected LUT well, which could improve thermal stability and in vitro digestive stability by 1.66-3.58-fold and 1.27-2.74-fold, respectively. Besides, the bioaccessibility of LUT was also enhanced by 7.16-24.99-fold. The chain length and saturation of FAs affected the stability and absorption of LUT. Therefore, these results provided some reference for the selection of FAs for efficient delivery of lipid-soluble nutrients.

Encapsulation and characterization of ω-3 medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols microencapsulated with different proteins as wall materials

In this study, ω-3 medium- and long-chain triacylglycerols (MLCTs) microcapsules with excellent performance were obtained using soy protein as the wall component to address the oxidation-related problems of MLCTs. Additionally, the effect of soy, whey, or pea proteins on microcapsules in terms of the changes in their structure and physicochemical properties was investigated. The results showed that the small particle size, low PDI (polydispersity index) and zeta potential, fast adsorption rate, and low interfacial tension of these protein-based samples fabricated through the O/W template method were conducive to maintaining the integrity of microcapsules during spray-drying. The microcapsules, characterized by a spherical shape, exhibited superior encapsulation efficiency of 94.56%, surpassing the findings of previous investigations. Overall, these microcapsules exhibited long-term storage stability and low controllable release rates, which could be utilized as carriers for liposoluble actives.

Revealing the potential effects of oil phase on the stability and bioavailability of astaxanthin contained in Pickering emulsions: In vivo, in vitro and molecular dynamics simulation analysis

This study investigated the effects of oil phases on the encapsulation rate, storage stability, and bioavailability of astaxanthin (ASTA) in Pickering emulsions (PEs). Results showed PEs of mixed oils (olive oil/edible tea oil) had excellent encapsulation efficiency (about 96.0%) and storage stability of ASTA. In vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion results showed the mixed oil PE with a smaller interfacial area and higher monounsaturated fatty acid content may play a better role in improving ASTA retention and bioaccessibility. In vivo absorption results confirmed the mixed oil PE with an olive oil/edible tea oil of 7:3 was more favorable for ASTA absorption. Molecular dynamics simulation showed ASTA bound more strongly and stably to fatty acid molecules in the system of olive oil/edible tea oil of 7:3; and van der Waals force was the main binding force. NMR further proved there really were interactions between ASTA and four main fatty acids.

Ultralong-Term Durable Anticorrosive Coatings by Integration of Double-Layered Transfer Self-Healing Ability, Fe Ion-Responsive Ability, and Active/Passive Functional Partitioning

The application of self-healing polymers in corrosion protection is often limited by their slow and nonautonomous healing ability and poor long-term durability. In this paper, we propose a double-layered transfer self-healing coating constructed by soft and rigid polymer layers. The soft polymer has a fast self-healing rate of 10 min to repair, which was found to accelerate the self-healing of the upper rigid layer. The rigid polymer provided relatively high barrier ability while preserving certain self-healing ability owing to the shear-thinning effect. In this way, the double-layered coating combined rapid self-healing (∼1 h) and high impedance modulus |Z|f-0.01 Hz of 2.58 × 1010 Ω·cm2. Furthermore, the introduction of pyridine groups in B-PEA and polyacrylate-grafted-polydimethylsiloxane (PEA-g-PDMS) induced the Fe ion-responsive ability and shortened the self-healing time to 40 min (100 ppm Fe). Finally, barrier and anode sacrificed layers were introduced to produce multilayered architecture with active/passive anticorrosion performance. In the presence of scratches, the |Z|f-0.01 Hz can be preserved at 1.03 × 1010 Ω·cm2 after 200 days. The created anticorrosive coating technology combines long-term durability with room temperature autonomous rapid self-healing capability, providing a broad prospect for anticorrosive applications.

Zeaxanthin Combined with Tocopherol to Improve the Oxidative Stability of Chicken Oil

Chicken oil is prone to oxidation due to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids. The interaction of antioxidants was affected by their concentration, ratio, and reaction system. In this article, mixtures of zeaxanthin and tocopherols (α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol) were chosen to enhance the oxidative stability of chicken oil. The antioxidation of zeaxanthin with tocopherols was analyzed using the Rancimat test, the free radical scavenging capacity and the Schaal oven test (the variation of antioxidant content, PV and shelf life prediction). The optimal concentration of zeaxanthin determined by Rancimat in chicken oil was 20 mg/kg. The binary mixtures have a strong synergistic effect in the ABTS experiment, and the clearance rate was up to 99%, but antagonistic effect in ORAC. The degree of synergism between zeaxanthin and tocopherols was determined by ratio. The interaction between zeaxanthin and α-tocopherol was synergistic, while the types of interaction between zeaxanthin and γ-tocopherol were affected by concentration. The main synergistic interaction mechanism was the regeneration of tocopherol by zeaxanthin. Synergistic combinations of zeaxanthin with α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol played a key role in the primary oxidation stage of the lipid. The best synergistic combination was A3 (zeaxanthin+α-tocopherol: 15+50 23 mg/kg), which could extend the shelf life of chicken oil (92.46 d) to 146.93 days. This work provides a reference for zeaxanthin and tocopherol to improve the oxidative stability of animal fat.

Long short-term memory based quasi-targeted lipidomics reveals propane-1,2-diol expediting the digestion of lipids via mediating the α-helices to a random curl or β folding of lipase

Scandal of detecting 1,2-propanediol (PD) in milk brought a crisis to the trust of consumers in dairy industry, and investigations focused effect of PD on digestive behavior of milk were still restricted. Long short-term memory amalgamated to quasi-targeted lipidomics was applied to monitor dynamics changes of lipids during digestion and the pseudo-first-order kinetic model elucidated that PD elevated the digestibility of lipid with the degradation rate (S-1) ranged from 4440.31 to 5665.59 and mediated the transition of α-helices (26.46% to 19.07% of pancreatic lipase and 29.89% to 23.37% of gastric lipase) covering active center in lipase to random curl (48.25% to 51.17% of pancreatic lipase and 41.58% to 44.57% of gastric lipase) and β folding (9.14% to 4.67% of pancreatic lipase and 6.52% to 10.05% of gastric lipase), ultimately upregulating the lipase activity and further intervening lipid nutrients utilization in milk. This study provided a critical insight about the impact of PD contamination at trace concentrations on the nutritional value of milk fat during digestion.

New Healthy Low-Sugar and Carotenoid-Enriched/High-Antioxidant Beverage: Study of Optimization and Physicochemical Properties

Lutein is a prominent biologically active carotenoid pigment with a polyene skeleton that has great benefits for human health. The study examined the synergistic effects of potentially functional components, including lutein carotenoid (LC), Mentha × Piperita extract (MPE), and Citrus × aurantifolia essential oil (CAEO), all three as bioactive components and antioxidants (AOs), on the physicochemical characteristics of a new low-sugar and carotenoid-enriched high-antioxidant beverage. Sucralose was utilized as a non-nutritive sweetener. Polynomial equations obtained by combined design methodology (CDM) were fitted to the experimental data of total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC, respectively) and antioxidant potential of the beverages using multiple regression analysis with R2 (determination coefficient) values of 0.87, 0.89, and 0.97, respectively. Estimated response values for the TPC, TFC, and antioxidant potential (determined as 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging activity) of the optimum beverage formulation were 41.90 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per L-1, 27.51 mg quercetin equivalent (QE) per L-1, and 34.06%, respectively, with a desirability value of 0.74. The potentially functional components had a synergistic effect on the antioxidant potential. This healthy beverage can have the potential to enhance health benefits and may have therapeutic potential for diabetic patients.

Influence of different pre-treatments on flavor quality of freeze-dried carrots mediated by carotenoids and metabolites during 120-day storage

Changes in carotenoids and volatiles (including β-carotene-metabolites) of freeze-dried carrots (FDC) treated by thermal/nonthermal-ultrasound (40 KHz, 10 min) and ascorbic (2%, w/v)-CaCl₂ (1%, w/v) solution ((H)UAA-CaCl₂) during a 120-day storage period were investigated. The results of HS-SPME/GC-MS showed that caryophyllene was the dominant volatile compound (70.80-275.74 µg/g, d.b) in FDC, and 144 volatile compounds were detected in 6 samples. Besides, 23 volatile compounds were significantly correlated with β-carotene content (p < 0.05), and β-carotene degraded to off-flavor compounds (β-ionone: 22.85-117.26 µg/g, β-cyclocitral: 0-113.84 µg/g and dihydroactindiolide: 4.04-128.37 µg/g) that had adverse effects on FDC flavor. However, UAA-CaCl₂ effectively preserved the total carotenoid content (793.37 µg/g), and HUAA-CaCl₂ reduced the off-odors (such as β-cyclocitral and isothymol) formation at the end of storage. These results indicated that (H)UAA-CaCl₂ treatments were conducive to the maintenance of carotenoids and the flavor quality of FDC.

Kinetics of Carotenoids Degradation during the Storage of Encapsulated Carrot Waste Extracts

The encapsulates of carrot waste oil extract improved the antioxidant properties of durum wheat pasta. The aim of this research was to study the kinetics of carotenoids degradation in the freeze-dried (FDE) and spray-dried (SDE) encapsulates of carrot waste extract during storage at four different temperatures (+4, +21.3, +30, +37 °C) up to 413 days by HPLC. Carotenoids levels decreased as a function of time and temperature, following zero-order kinetics. At 4 °C carotenes were stable for at least 413 days, but their half-lives decreased with increasing temperatures: 8-12 months at 21 °C; 3-4 months at 30 °C; and 1.5-2 months at 37 °C. The freeze-drying technique was more effective against carotenes degradation. An initial lag-time with no or very limited carotenes degradation was observed: from one week at 37 °C up to 3 months (SDE) or more (FDE) at 21 °C. The activation energies (Ea) varied between 66.6 and 79.5 kJ/mol, and Ea values tended to be higher in FDE than in SDE.

Comparison of chemical characterization and oxidative stability of Lycium barbarum seed oils: A comprehensive study based on processing methods

Five different processing methods (cold pressing, hot pressing, solvent extraction, ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction) were evaluated to extract oils from Lycium barbarum (L. barbarum) seeds based on the lipid composition, minor bioactive components, and oxidative stability of oils. A large proportion of unsaturated fatty acids was detected in the L. barbarum seed oil, especially linoleic acid (65.24-66.26%). Minor bioactive components were abundant in L. barbarum seed oils, including tocopherols (292.65-488.49 mg/kg), phytosterols (9606.31-166,684.77 mg/kg), polyphenols (35.65-113.87 mg/kg), and carotenoid (4.17-46.16 mg/100 g). Specifically, the phytosterol content was higher than that of other common oils. Comparing the different processing techniques, ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction provided the highest extraction yield and recovery. The quantities of tocopherols, phenols, and phytosterols in hot-pressed oil were higher than those in oils extracted from other methods, and thus it had the best oxidative stability. L. barbarum seed oils extracted by different techniques showed various characteristics and could be distinguished through principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: L. barbarum seed oil is a potentially underutilized oil resource with abundant essential fatty acid and phytosterol, which owns great value to apply in the nutritional, cosmetic, and medicinal fields. Hot pressing is an efficient method to produce L. barbarum seed oil for health care with high nutritional value and good quality, which can also be easily implemented on an industrial scale.

Health Benefits and Applications of Goji Berries in Functional Food Products Development: A Review

Goji berries have long been used for their nutritional value and medicinal purposes in Asian countries. In the last two decades, goji berries have become popular around the world and are consumed as a functional food due to wide-range bioactive compounds with health-promoting properties. In addition, they are gaining increased research attention as a source of functional ingredients with potential industrial applications. This review focuses on the antioxidant properties of goji berries, scientific evidence on their health effects based on human interventional studies, safety concerns, goji berry processing technologies, and applications of goji berry-based ingredients in developing functional food products.