Double‐crosslinked hydrogels and hydrogel beads formed by garlic protein hydrolysates for bioactive encapsulation and gastrointestinal delivery

Abstract BACKGROUND Garlic protein is one of the main components of garlic. It has several beneficial characteristics. This study aimed to characterize a double crosslinked hydrogel formed with alginate, calcium ions (Ca 2+ ), and garlic protein hydrolysates (GPH), and to develop hydrogel beads for targeted delivery of bioactive constituents to the gastrointestinal tract. RESULTS The results indicated that the degree of GPH hydrolysis was approximately 3% following trypsin treatment. The inner structure of the double crosslinked hydrogel showed a honeycomb pattern, with solid‐like gel rheology and improved texture properties at a 4% (w/v) GPH concentration. The GPH‐based hydrogel beads demonstrated pH sensitivity, swelling in near‐neutral and alkaline environments, and the encapsulated paclitaxel (PTX) exhibited an amorphous phase with preferential release in intestinal conditions. The GPH group also achieved greater drug encapsulation efficiency than a soy protein hydrolysate (SPH) group, and proteomic analysis suggested that lower molecular weight and peptide charge favored the formation of peptide‐integrated double crosslinking hydrogels. CONCLUSION This work indicated that GPH was helpful and could inspire the development of drug delivery systems involving GPH with the required mechanical strength and target‐release properties. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.