Formulation and characterization of O/W nanoemulsions encapsulating high concentration of astaxanthin

This study evaluates the effect of modified lecithin (ML) and sodium caseinate (SC) on the formulation, stability and bioaccessibility of astaxanthin (AXT) loaded oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions. These nanoemulsions were formulated using high-pressure homogenization in four passes at 100 MPa. The volume mean diameter (d4,3) of nanoemulsions produced by ML and SC were 163 ± 5 and 144 ± 12 nm, respectively. The physiochemical stability of nanoemulsions was recorded at 25 °C. The nanoemulsions prepared by ML were stable for 30 minutes against a wide range of pH and heating temperatures (60-120 °C). However, ML-stabilized nanoemulsions showed droplet growth when treated at high NaCl concentrations. In comparison, droplet growth was observed in SC-stabilized nanoemulsions at pH 4 and at high temperature treatment. However, SC-stabilized nanoemulsions were stable at high NaCl concentration (500 mM). The SC-stabilized nanoemulsions showed good physical and chemical stability (> 70%) after 30 days of storage. The bioaccessibility of AXT in nanoemulsions was significantly higher in ML (33%) than in SC-stabilized nanoemulsions (6%), indicating a strong influence of emulsifier on bioaccessibility. These findings provide valuable information in designing nutritional products such as aqueous based AXT fortified beverages.