Frontiers in Nutrition (Sep 2022)

Storage stability and in vitro digestion of apigenin encapsulated in Pickering emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate–chitosan complexes

  • Ruihong Ge,
  • Ruihong Ge,
  • Haihua Zhu,
  • Jian Zhong,
  • Hui Wang,
  • Ningping Tao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.997706
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

Read online

Few studies have investigated the encapsulation of apigenin in solid particle-stabilized emulsions. In this work, Pickering emulsions containing apigenin and stabilized by whey protein isolate-chitosan (WPI-CS) complexes were created to enhance the bioavailability of apigenin. Different lipids including medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), ethyl oleate (EO), and corn oil (CO) were selected to fabricate lipid-based delivery systems. The microstructure of the Pickering emulsions, as revealed by optical and cryo-scanning electron microscopies, showed that the oil droplets were dispersed evenly and trapped by a three-dimensional network formed by the WPI-CS complexes, which was further confirmed by rheology properties. After 30 days of storage, Pickering emulsions with MCTs achieved the highest apigenin retention rate, exhibiting 95.05 ± 1.45% retention when stored under 4°C. In vitro gastrointestinal tract experiments indicated that the lipid types of the emulsions also affected the lipid digestion and release rate of apigenin. Pickering emulsions with MCTs achieved a higher bioaccessibility compared to that of the other two emulsions (p < 0.01). These results indicate that the delivery system of Pickering emulsions with MCTs stabilized by WPI-CS complexes offers good storage stability and improved bioaccessibility of apigenin.

Keywords