Development and characterization of fully hydrogenated soybean oil and high oleic sunflower oil -carotene loaded nanostructured lipid carriers

Abstract

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) have shown great potential as a delivery system for lipophilic bioactive compounds as they provide protection, high water dispersibility, chemical stability, and oral bioavailability. The less compact crystal structure created by high- and low-melting-point lipids has more space for the entrapment of bioactive compounds, such as $\beta$-carotene, the carotenoid with the highest provitamin A activity. The objective of this study was to produce and characterise $\beta$-carotene-loaded NLC. The study assessed the physical and crystallization properties, entrapment efficiency (EE), and loading capacity (LC) of NLC produced with fully hydrogenated soybean oil and high oleic sunflower oil as high- and low-melting-point lipid matrices, respectively, and soy lecithin, Tween 80, and whey protein isolate (WPI) as emulsifiers. WPI promoted the production of NLC with larger particle size, lower physical stability, and lower IE and LC, compared with other emulsifiers. The melting range of the resulting NLC was within a suitable range for incorporation in foods, with a peak melting temperature above body temperature.