Encapsulation of elderberry extract into phospholipid nanoparticles

The aim of the work was to compare the suitability of different lecithins for nanoencapsulation of elderberry extract in liposomes for the purpose of food enrichment. Lecithins extracted from egg yolk, soybean and sunflower were tested. Vesicles were prepared by thin lipid film hydration technique followed by freeze and thaw procedure. Liposomal particles were separated from unencapsulated material by gel permeation chromatography. Encapsulation efficiency, zeta potential, as well as size distribution were determined for the liposome characterization. Moreover, flow cytometry was used to examine the diversity of structure in liposome populations. It was found that all of the three tested lecithins were proper for encapsulation of elderberry extract into liposomes. Soybean lecithin proved to be the material with the best stability for the formation of liposomes. The zeta potential absolute value of those nanocapsules was the highest (−36.4 mV), and their Z-average size (205 nm) was the smallest. Encapsulation efficiency in this case was of 25%. Moreover, population of soybean lecithin liposomes was the most uniform both in terms of size and structure. By using both sunflower and egg yolk lecithins significantly higher encapsulation efficiency could be achieved, however those liposomes were less stable. Moreover their populations were more diverse both in terms of size and structure.