Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-stabilized Pickering emulsion for improved curcumin storage stability. (1st April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Aw, Yuan Zhe; Lim, Hui Peng; Low, Liang Ee; Surjit Singh, Charanjit Kaur; Chan, Eng Seng; Tey, Beng Ti
• Is Part Of: Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft + Technologie =. Volume 159(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-04-01
• Subjects: Curcumin -- Cellulose nanocrystal -- Pickering emulsion -- Encapsulation -- Storage stability; Food industry and trade -- Periodicals; Food -- Composition -- Periodicals; Microbiology -- Periodicals; Nutrition -- Periodicals; 664.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113249
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0023-6438

Abstract

Abstract: Curcumin is a bioactive supplement known to have many medical benefits. However, it has low bioavailability due to its insolubility in aqueous solution and rapid degradation profile. In this paper, an oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsion (PE) was fabricated ultrasonically with different cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) concentrations to investigate its effect on the physicochemical properties of PE and the storage stability of curcumin. The CNC-PE produced remained stable for at least one month. The highest encapsulation efficiency of curcumin in CNC-PE was found to exceed 99%. For storage of curcumin containing CNC-PE under dark conditions, good stability of curcumin was observed with a half-life of 98.47 d, reflecting a nearly 20-fold improvement as compared to other existing PE systems. On the other hand, storage under visible light, UV light, and at elevated temperature (50 °C) increased the degradation rate of encapsulated curcumin following the order: 50 °C > UV light > visible light > dark. Our findings elucidated the promising potential of CNC-PE as a food-safe delivery system for sensitive lipophilic bioactive compounds. Highlights: - CNC-PE is physically stable for at least 8 weeks. - CNC-PE improved the storage stability of curcumin by nearly 20-fold. - Encapsulated curcumin had the best storage stability under dark environment. - Curcumin degradation rate increased upon exposure to light, UV light, and hot environment.