Modulation of physicochemical stability and bioaccessibility of β-carotene using alginate beads and emulsion stabilized by scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) gonad protein isolates

The colloidal delivery systems fabricated by emulsion containing natural proteins and lipids have been utilized to protect carotenoids as well as to release the carotenoids in the simulated in vitro gastrointestinal tract (GIT). In this study, β-carotene (BC) was embedded into emulsions that were stabilized by scallop gonad protein isolates (SGPIs), and the emulsion droplets containing BC were then entrapped into calcium-alginate beads. The results showed that the oil-in-water emulsions coated by SGPIs only showed good stability at pH 7–8, while the emulsion-alginate beads remained relatively intact at pH 3–8. BC encapsulated in emulsions was extremely unstable and prone to degradation when stored at the comparatively higher temperature (37 °C), whereas the stability of BC was greatly enhanced through incorporation into emulsion-alginate beads. The digestion rate and extent of lipid droplets constructed within SGPIs-stabilized emulsion-alginate beads were slower than that in emulsions during GIT. The confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that the lipid droplets in emulsions were aggregated after exposure to the mouth and gastric phases, while the emulsion-alginate beads maintained their spherical shape after exposure to the oral and gastric phases. Moreover, the free lipid droplets in the emulsions showed a higher bioaccessibility of BC (66%) than that in the emulsion-alginate beads (38%), whereas the BC transformation was on the contrary. The findings in this study indicated that SGPIs-stabilized emulsion in alginate beads can potentially be utilized for the encapsulation and controlled release of lipophilic bioactive compounds.