Coprecipitation of turmeric extracts and polyethylene glycol with compressed carbon dioxide

- Turmeric extracts are provided of nutraceuticals with innovative applications.
- Microparticles are used for several purposes in food and non-food industries.
- Coprecipitation using CO2 as antisolvent is a feasible technique to obtain particles.
- Polyethylene glycol is an efficient wall material for turmeric extracts.

Low bioavailability and poor absorption of turmeric bioactives in human body limit their application. In order to propose products with improved stability we investigate the quality of coprecipitated microparticles of polyethyleneglycol (PEG) and turmeric extracts, which were obtained using dichloromethane (DCM) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as solvents and compressed carbon dioxide as antisolvent. The effects of pressure, antisolvent flow, concentration of extract and solvent proportion were investigated. The mean size of microparticles varied between 20.52 and 182.74 μm. Particle size distribution indicate irregularities that were confirmed by polydispersive index (PDI) values, and by the images obtained with scanning electron microscopy. The profile of bioactives was analyzed using two approaches, i.e., a qualitative (Thin-Layer Chromatography), which indicated weak presence and a quantitative (Antioxidant Activity), which indicated relevant contribution of these substances present in coprecipitates for the inhibition of β-carotene oxidation, besides evidence the efficiency of PEG as wall material.

120