Evaluation of the antioxidant potential and stability of carotenoid-rich extract of Cantaloupe melon nanoencapsulated for food application
β-carotene. Nanoencapsulation. Antioxidant activity.
Nanoencapsulation is an alternative to promote increased solubility, stability, and preserve and enhance the antioxidant action of carotenoids. Based on this, the present study aimed to evaluate the potential and antioxidant stability of the carotenoid-rich extract of the gelatin nanoencapsulated cantaloupe melon for food application. Nanoformulation was obtained by emulsifying oil in water (O/W) using crude carotenoid-rich extract (EB), porcine gelatin (encapsulating agent) and Tween 20 (surfactant). The obtained particles (EGS) were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Laser Diffraction, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The following groups were evaluated for antioxidant activity by antioxidant tests using 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH •) and 2,2'-azino-bis- (3-ethyl benzothiazoline) -6-sulfonic acid ( ABTS •): (1) EB (0.05 mg / mL); (2) commercial standard β-carotene (0.009 mg / mL); (3) nanoparticles without EB (4.00 mg / mL); (4) EGS (4.05 mg / mL) and; (4) EB extracted from nanoparticles (0.05 mg / mL). All groups will be evaluated for stability of antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS) and chromatographic profile, being subjected to food storage conditions at room temperature, refrigeration and freezing (25 ° C, 5 ° C and -18 ° C, respectively) with and without light (1400 lux) for 30 days. The characterization results demonstrated the mean particle size and polydispersion index obtained for EGS with the presence of homogeneous material in the nanometer scale [90.9 (7.20) nm and 0.56 (0.08)]. FTIR showed chemical interactions between crude extract and porcine gelatin, confirming encapsulation. The following results were obtained for inhibition of oxidation (%) by ABTS and DPPH, respectively, for the evaluated groups: 1) EB: 22.24 (1.93)% and 18.76 (0.95)%; (2) standard β-carotene: 10.70 (1.55)% and 30.57 (0.54)%; (3) nanoparticles without EB: 0.0 (0.0)% and 0.0 (0.0)%; (4) EGS: 0.0 (0.0)% and 0.0 (0.0)%; (4) EB extracted from nanoparticles: 34.95 (3.04)% and 29.96 (0.25)%. Therefore, nanoencapsulation promoted a 57-59% increase in the antioxidant activity of the crude extract, demonstrating the increased potential of carotenoid application in food matrices.