Influence of phospholipid saturation on the physicochemical characteristics of curcumin/vitamin D 3 co‐loaded proliposomes obtained by the micronized sucrose coating process

The effects of different ratios of food-grade saturated and unsaturated soy phospholipids on the production of proliposomes with curcumin and vitamin D3 were studied. A micronized sucrose-coating process was employed to obtain the proliposomes. The phospholipid ratio had a minor influence on their physicochemical parameters, as low values for water activity (Aw ≤ 0.26), moisture content (Xw ≤ 2.97%), hygroscopicity (≤8.62 g adsorbed water/100 g dry matter), and intermediate values for solubility (≤44.8% of solubilized powder) were obtained. Also, Fourier transform infrared and X-ray powder diffraction results revealed an improvement in their amorphous structure due to sucrose. The entrapment efficiency values for curcumin and vitamin D3 were up to 100% and 98.7%, respectively, after 60 days. Additionally, the nanoliposomes resulting from the hydration of proliposomes exhibited sizes lower than 400 nm. The results shown herein are relevant to the production of lower-cost synergistic carriers with high bioactive retention using an abundant raw material such as sucrose. Novelty impact statement Purified phospholipids are commonly used in the production of liposomes, but their high cost may be a limiting factor for their large-scale production. Non-purified phospholipids can be up to 20% cheaper. The production of proliposomes containing different ratios of phospholipids with different degrees of saturation has never been explored for the coencapsulation of curcumin and vitamin D3, two hydrophobic molecules with well-known biological activities. The micronized sucrose coating process allows the production of a cheaper and easily reproducible food-grade carrier with high bioactive retentions.