Simultaneous microencapsulation of hydrophilic and lipophilic bioactives in liposomes produced by an ecofriendly supercritical fluid process

•A rapid supercritical fluid process was developed for generation of liposomes.•Vacuum-driven cargo loading and nontoxicity were the main features of this process.•Hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds were simultaneously encapsulated in liposomes.•Unilamellar and multivesicular vesicles were observed in the resultant liposomes.•Good emulsion stability was maintained during shelf life evaluation at cold storage.

Organic solvent residues are always a concern with the liposomes produced by traditional techniques. Our objectives were to encapsulate hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds in liposomes using a newly designed supercritical fluid process coupled with vacuum-driven cargo loading. Supercritical carbon dioxide was chosen as the phospholipid-dissolving medium and an ecofriendly substitute for organic solvents. Liposomal microencapsulation was conducted via a 1000-μm expansion nozzle at 12.41 MPa, 90 °C, and aqueous cargo loading rate of 0.25 ml/s. Vitamins C and E were selected as model hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds encapsulated in the integrated liposomes. The average vesicle size was 951.02 nm with a zeta potential of − 51.87 mV. The encapsulation efficiency attained was 32.97% for vitamin C and 99.32% for vitamin E. Good emulsion stability was maintained during storage at 4 °C for 20 days. Simultaneous microencapsulation in the liposomes was successfully achieved with this supercritical fluid process.

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