Springer (part of Springer Nature), Food and Bioprocess Technology, 4(7), p. 1149-1159
DOI: 10.1007/s11947-013-1160-2
Full text: Unavailable
This study aimed at the encapsulation of quercetin into lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles using the electrostatic self-assembly technique, followed by evaluation of their functionality (antioxidant activity) and stability at different environmental conditions. These nanoparticles were characterized in terms of: average size, morphology, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, loading, and spectroscopic characteristics. Quercetin has been successfully encapsulated in lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles with an efficiency of 96.13????????0.44 %. Nanoparticles presented a spherical morphology with an average size of 168.58????????20.94 nm and a zeta potential of 56.46????????1.94 mV. Stability studies showed that nanoparticles are stable to temperatures ranging between 5 and 70 ??C and a pH variation from 3.3 to 5.0. Moreover, encapsulated quercetin showed improved antioxidant properties when compared to free-quercetin. Our results suggest that quercetin-loaded lecithin/chitosan nanoparticles can be used in the manufacture of functional foods.