Lutein encapsulation may expand food applications: Colombian study

30-Mar-2018 - Last updated on 30-Mar-2018 at 17:02 GMT

The researchers extracted lutein from lettuce and cabbage using supercritical fluid extraction. Image: © Getty Images / thinkreaction

Using gum arabic or a combination of maltodextrin, arabic gum and a modified starch may help to stabilize and protect lutein, a carotenoid associated with eye and heart health, says a new study.

New data published in Food Chemistry indicated that 100% gum Arabic was able to encapsulate lutein with an efficiency of 92%, while the gum Arabic – maltodextrin - modified starch combination had an encapsulation efficiency of 66%.

Additional research revealed that the combination of encapsulant agents performed best for protecting lutein during storage, reported scientists from Corporación Universitaria Lasallista in Colombia.

“[T]he encapsulation of lutein is an excellent alternative for the protection of its functionality; plus, it allowed us to determine this by the tests carried out, which can be converted into an opportunity as a functional ingredient to add to food products, since it was made with one of the most widely used technologies (spray drying) and encapsulant agents applied extensively in food industries,” they wrote.

“This work opened the way for the exploration of new formulations with other encapsulation materials that may allow greater protection over time and other conditions that have not been studied yet.”

Study details

The researchers used spray drying to encapsulate lutein using maltodextrin (Ingredion, Guadalajara, Mexico), arabic gum (Willy Benecke, Hamburg-Germany) and a modified starch (Cargill, Minnesota, US). After initial investigations of the encapsulation efficiencies, the encapsulated ingredients were studied for 20 days at 45°C and 75% relative humidity.

The data showed that an equal combination of the three agents produced the best protection, despite gum arabic alone having the best encapsulation efficiency.

“Based on our results, encapsulation could be considered as an alternative for the generation of high value-added functional ingredients that can be used in different industries,” concluded the researchers.

Source: Food Chemistry
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.02.059
“Microencapsulation of lutein by spray-drying: Characterization and stability analyses to promote its use as a functional ingredient”
Authors: M.V. Álvarez Henao et al.