Fabrication of starch/zein-based microcapsules for encapsulation and delivery of fucoxanthin

As a drug carrier, starch-based microparticle (SMP) has attracted widespread attention. However, because SMP is commonly formed in aqueous media, it is facing the challenge of encapsulation of hydrophobic bioactive. Here, we present an effective method for encapsulating fucoxanthin (Fx), a model hydrophobic bioactive, within SMP formed by self-assembly of short-chain glucans (SCG), using zein nanoparticles as intermediate vectors. SMP exhibited higher encapsulation efficiency to chitosan-coated Fx-zein nanoparticles (∼91%) at a given concentration of 50 μg/mL compared to soybean polysaccharide-coated ones. Fx in SMP was found to be more stable against UV radiation-induced degradation and FeCl3-catalyzed oxidative stresses than free Fx. Furthermore, SMP conferred controlled release of Fx in the duodenum (6%), jejunum (13%), ileum (32%), and colon (42%), implying that this approach could be useful in designing an effective drug carrier for delivering several hydrophobic bioactives to different parts of the intestine.