Ferrous sulfate liposomes: preparation, stability and application in fluid milk

The effects of cholesterol and Tween 80 on the physical stability of empty liposomes were investigated. Results showed that the physical stability of liposomes, including electrostatic and steric stability, was improved by addition of cholesterol and Tween 80. Liposomes prepared by different methods, thin-film hydration, thin-film sonication, reverse-phase evaporation and freeze-thawing, were tested for their capacity to encapsulate ferrous sulfate. Technology parameters to microencapsulate ferrous sulfate, concentration of ferrous sulfate, hydrating media and sonication strength, were optimized. The concentration of ferrous sulfate and the hydrating medium had a significant effect on the amount of encapsulated ferrous ions. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 67% was obtained by using the reverse-phase evaporation method. In milk fortified with ferrous sulfate liposomes, the concentration of iron increased to 15 mg L−1, and it was stable to heat sterilization (100 °C, 30 min) and storage at 4 °C during one week.