Wet agglomeration by high shear of binary mixtures of curcumin-loaded lyophilized liposomes and cornstarch: Powder characterization and incorporation in cakes

Wet agglomeration was used to enrich cornstarch with curcumin-loaded lyophilized liposomes, and the enriched cornstarch was incorporated in cake batters. Lyophilized liposomes were obtained using proliposome hydration and encapsulated curcumin remained stable after 70 days of storage. The enriched cornstarch was produced using a high shear method using maltodextrin as a binder, and the powders were characterized in terms of water activity, moisture content, water sorption, bulk properties, flowability, wetting time, instrumental colorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy. The data obtained showed that the presence of liposomes and maltodextrin did not significantly change the cornstarch bulk structure. The enriched powders were homogeneous in both color and size distribution. Better bulk properties were observed in agglomerated powders than in non-agglomerated cornstarch, as higher flowability and lower cohesiveness. With respect to the application of the agglomerated starches in cakes, they were produced and analyzed in terms of instrumental color, texture and proximate composition. The results showed a decrease in both hardness and chewiness as well as an intense and homogeneous yellow color in cakes produced with the agglomerated cornstarch. This study indicated that it is feasible to produce a cake batter with curcumin encapsulated in liposomes as a functional ingredient.