A comparative study of size-controlled worm-like amylopectin nanoparticles and spherical amylose nanoparticles: Their characteristics and the adsorption properties of polyphenols

Polyphenols are known to have potent antioxidant capacity and other health-beneficial bioactivities. However, extremely low absorption rate of polyphenols restricts their bioactivity in vivo. Development of biopolymer nanoparticle carrier is a promising solution. For the first time, we have successfully prepared worm-like amylopectin nanoparticles (APNPs) and spherical amylose nanoparticles (AMNPs) using fractionated amylose and amylopectin from potato starch. Additionally, adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms of three polyphenols (procyanidins, epicatechins and catechins) on AMNPs and APNPs were investigated. We found that procyanidins, epicatechins, and catechins could bind to AMNPs at levels of up to 1.2, 1.5, and 1.4 g/g, respectively, while the APNPs demonstrated higher adsorption amounts of 1.4, 4.3, and 2.2 g/g, respectively. Furthermore, the particle size of polyphenol-loaded nanoparticles was not significantly changed. The results suggested that APNPs and AMNPs can be applied as an effective nanocarrier by delivering active compounds for nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.