Resonant acoustic mixing-engineered whey protein isolate–oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes: A scalable platform for enhanced astaxanthin encapsulation and stability
Food Hydrocolloids, cilt.185, 2027 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 185
- Basım Tarihi: 2027
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2026.113465
- Dergi Adı: Food Hydrocolloids
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Resonant acoustic mixing, Whey protein isolate, Oligomeric proanthocyanidins, Astaxanthin, Conformational transition, Co-encapsulation
- Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The high viscosity and restricted molecular mobility inherent in a high-concentration whey protein isolate (WPI) systems pose a major challenge for the stable co-incorporation of lipophilic astaxanthin (AXT) and hydrophilic oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC). This study employed a low-frequency resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) strategy to fabricate WPI–OPC complexes (WPCs) for AXT encapsulation. In high-concentration WPI system (40%, w/v), RAM treatment synergistically promoted molecular dispersion alongside OPC incorporation, inducing partial conformational unfolding of WPI. Enhanced fluorescence quenching and the dynamic equilibrium were found between free sulfhydryl group reformation and disulfide bond formation. Significantly reduced fluorescence intensity of 1-Anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) suggested the occupation of WPI hydrophobic binding sites by OPC. After 30 min of RAM treatment at an OPC concentration of 0.25 mg/mL, the OPC binding efficiency reached 90.8%, with over 70% retention maintained after 30 days. This performance outperformed conventional stirring, which yielded retention rates below 50%. RAM improved colloidal stability, inhibited particle aggregation, and facilitated the formation of a compact and uniform cross-linked protein network. AXT encapsulation was enhanced by the WPI–OPC stabilized emulsion and exhibited OPC concentration-dependent antioxidant activity. Increased water-holding capacity and the establishment of an elastic-dominated network were confirmed by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance and rheological analyses. The highest encapsulation efficiency of 89.33% was achieved by spray-dried microcapsules with 1.0 mg/mL OPC with favorable morphology, thermal stability, and redispersibility. This study provides practical guidance for the application of RAM in constructing lipophilic substance–polyphenol multi-bioactive delivery systems in high-protein matrices.