Dihydromyricetin solid dispersion: Preparation, characterization, and preservative effects on sturgeon fillets stored at 4 °C

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a well-known natural flavonoid antioxidant and bacteriostat. However, its practical application, e.g., as a preservative, is limited by poor bioavailability due to its low solubility. To overcome this limitation, a solid dispersion formulation of DMY (DMYSD) was prepared from polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) K30, and characterized using spectroscopic, thermoanalytical, antioxidant and bacteriostatic methods. The results showed that the enhanced solubility of DMYSD (64.51 mg/mL), which was more than 90 times that of DMY, could be attributed to reduced crystallinity of the DMY solid dispersion. Immersion of sturgeon fillets in DMYSD solution (5.12 mg/mL) demonstrated that the shelf life of the treated fish stored at 4 °C could be extended by more than 3 d compared with pure DMY. Bacterial enumeration and physicochemical analyses of the treated stored fish indicated that the increased shelf life was due to reduced protein and lipid oxidation, and suppression of bacterial growth, by the solid dispersion.