The Influence of Heating and Photosensitization on the Stability of Lutein-Loaded Lipid-Core Nanocapsules

Background: Despite lutein is unstable in light, heat, and oxygen, it is a good quencher of singlet oxygen. The present study evaluated the stability of lutein (92% of purity) in Lipid-core Nanocapsules (Lutein-LNC) prepared through interfacial deposition of preformed polymer, during photosensitization (5-25°C) and heating (70-90°C). Methods: The Lutein-LNC was characterized and presented a polydispersity index of 0.11, an average diameter of 191 nm (dynamic light scattering), zeta potential of -9.14 mV and entrapment efficiency of 100%. Results and Discussion: During photosensitization and heating, Lutein-LNC exhibited activation Energy (Ea) of 24.67 kcal/mol and 9.96 kcal/mol, respectively, and these values of Lutein-LNC were higher than free lutein values, reported in other studies for both experiments. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggested that nanotechnology can improve the stability of lutein for future applications in the food industry.