Nutrition & Food Science
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Item DEVELOPMENT OF HORDEIN-PECTIN NANOPARTICLE COMPLEX FOR THE ENCAPSULATION OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS FOR ENHANCED FUNCTIONALITIES(2023) Tarwa, Kevin; Wang, Qin; Food Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Nanoparticle delivery systems composed of food polymers are a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to protect functional ingredients and promote healthier food options. In this research, a hordein-pectin nanoparticle complex (HP-NPC) was fabricated using an anti-solvent precipitation and electrostatic deposition (pH 4) method for the encapsulation of hydrophobic bioactive compounds to enhance their functionalities. First, hordein was extracted from whole barley grains to obtain a dried powder to synthesize hordein nanoparticles (HNP). Then pectin with a degree of esterification (DE) around 71% was applied as a coating material. The average particle size of the freshly prepared nanoparticle complex was relatively small (~246 ± 11 nm), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that cationic hordein interacted with anionic pectin mainly though newly formed hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interaction as indicated by their opposite surface charges. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the morphology of the nanoparticle complex was spherical with a smooth surface. The pectin coating was shown to have a protective effect against pH (3.0-9.0), heat (80 °C for 0-120 mins), and salt (0-100 µM) which are all factors known to degrade proteins. Second, lutein, a hydrophobic bioactive xanthophyll was encapsulated into HP-NPC to develop a lutein-hordein/pectin nanoparticle complex (L-HP-NPC). Since lutein has low water solubility and low bioavailability in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), the effect of the encapsulation system on the functional properties of lutein was investigated. The loading capacity (LC%) and encapsulation efficiency (EE%) was around 15.5 and 82%, respectively. In vitro digestion resulted in a higher bioaccessibility of lutein for encapsulated HP-NPC (~22.3%), which is defined as the percentage of lutein accessible for absorption in the simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) compared to lutein encapsulated into HNP (~9%). The ability of pectin to produce gels in acidic media was shown to have a significant effect against gastric enzymes that can degrade both hordein and lutein. Also, lyophilization (an important step in food processing) had no significant effect on the stability of L-HP-NPC. This encapsulation system could potentially be used as a functional ingredient in the food industry to develop healthy and nutritious foods for consumers. Third, carvacrol, a phenolic monoterpene known for its antimicrobial properties was encapsulated into HP-NPC to develop a carvacrol-hordein/pectin nanoparticle complex (CA-HP-NPC). Special focus was on the solubility of encapsulate carvacrol due to its known low solubility in aqueous solutions. The antimicrobial effectiveness of the encapsulated nanoparticle complex was tested against non-pathogenic gram-positive L. innocua and gram-negative E. coli K12. CA-HP-NPC was still able to maintain a relatively small particle size (~207 ± 8 nm) after being dispersed into water post-lyophilization. Carvacrol was shown to be effective against the two bacteria, however, CA-HP-NPC did not show antimicrobial effectiveness. Although carvacrol was successfully encapsulated into the nanoparticle complex, further studies on their release properties need to be investigated to further understand their functional properties for food applications.Item FOOD PROTEIN-BASED NANOPARTICLES AS BIOAVAILABILITY ENHANCING ENCAPSULANTS(2015) Teng, Zi; Wang, Qin; Food Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Proteins are attractive bioavailability enhancers for poorly absorbed nutraceuticals or drugs, owing to their natural abundance, amphiphilic nature, and desirable biocompatibility. This study systematically investigated the preparation, characterization, and application of protein-based nanoparticles as effective nutraceutical/drug carriers. Soy protein, one of the most widely utilized proteins, was firstly employed for preparing nanoparticles. The particle formation involved partial unfolding of protein molecules, limited aggregation in the presence of the antisolvent, crosslinking via chemical bonds, and refolding of the constituent monomers. Satisfactory encapsulation efficiency (EE) and time-dependent release of curcumin, a chemopreventive compound, were observed. The nanoparticles were further subjected to conjugation with folic acid, a cancer cell-targeting ligand. A pronounced increase in the accumulation in tumor cells such as Caco-2 was achieved upon folic acid conjugation, which demonstrated the potential of this technique for the targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs. To overcome the rapid digestion of soy protein nanoparticles in the gastrointestinal tract, carboxymethyl chitosan was employed as a second coating layer by a simple ionic gelation method. The formed particles exhibited satisfactory EE for vitamin D3 and controlled releasing profile in vitro. Beta lactoglobulin (BLG) as another protein of interest is a major component of whey protein, serving as a natural carrier for lipophilic nutrients. Our study suggested that the interaction between BLG and curcumin could be promoted by tuning the antisolvent content. A loading capacity (LC) and EE of up to 11% and 98% respectively could be achieved under the optimal conditions. Moreover, nanoparticles prepared with cationic beta-lactoglobulin (CBLG) were able to transport most of the encapsulated drug intact through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract owing to its desirable particle integrity. Other advantages of CBLG-based systems included superior mucoadhesion, permeation across the small intestine epithelia, and cellular uptake. Finally, as CBLG molecules/nanoparticles absorbed the negatively charged serum proteins in the cell culturing medium, their surface properties, cytotoxicity, and cellular uptake were significantly altered. This series of studies not only demonstrated the efficiency and versatility of protein-based nanoparticles as bioavailability enhancers but also shed some light on the mechanisms for the encapsulation, transport, and delivery of nutraceuticals or drugs.