Nuclear chemistry

Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Engineering

Nanoparticle

Biology

Materials science

Chromatography

Chitosan

Botany

Fucoxanthin

Diatom

Chemical engineering

Food science

Bioavailability

Polysaccharide

Polymer

Biopolymer

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Bioinformatics

Casein

Dispersity

Pharmacology

Zeta potential

Chemistry

Carotenoid

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

To facilitate the utilization of fucoxanthin (FX), a valuable marine carotenoid, in the food industry, FX-loaded casein nanoparticles (FX-CN) and chitosan-coated FX-CN (FX-CS-CN) were developed using the FX-enriched fraction from Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Two nanoscale particles (237 ± 13 nm for FX-CN and 277 ± 26 nm for FX-CN-CN) with spherical and smooth surfaces showed over 71% encapsulation efficiency and polydispersity index (PDI) value of 0.31-0.39 in water. Owing to the chitosan coating, FX-CS-CN showed a positive zeta potential (24.00 mV), whereas that of FX-CN was negative (-12.87 mV). In vitro simulated digestion demonstrated better FX bioaccessibility from the nanoparticles versus P. tricornutum powder (Pt-powder) and from FX-CN versus FX-CS-CN. However, in C57BL/6 mice, fucoxanthinol absorption to the blood circulation was two times higher for FX-CS-CN versus FX-CN, possibly due to increased retention or adsorption to mucin by the cationic biopolymer in the chitosan-coated particles. These results demonstrate that FX-CS-CN can enable the application of FX, with improved bioavailability and water dispersibility, in the food industry.

Preparation of Fucoxanthin-Loaded Nanoparticles Composed of Casein and Chitosan with Improved Fucoxanthin Bioavailability