Improvement in the stability of betanin by liposomal nanocarriers: Its application in gummy candy as a food model

Abstract

Betanin is a red food pigment with health beneficial effects. Despite interest in the use of betanin, low bioaccessibility and oxidation limit its application. To overcome these restrictions, the betanin was loaded in liposomal nanocarriers with the encapsulation efficiency of 80.35 ± 1%. To assess the efficiency of these nanocarriers, gummy candy was selected as a food model and its nutritional properties such as betanin stability and antioxidant activity were probed. The results showed that the betanin content and antioxidant activity of samples containing betanin-nanoliposomes were at least twice to those of samples containing free betanin. The tests show no differences in the sensory parameters of panelists for gummy candies fortified by betanin-loaded nanoliposomes compared to those fortified by betanin alone. As a result, the liposomal nanoparticles may be introduced as a suitable platform to stabilize and increase the bioavailability of betanin for applications in nutraceutical and medical fields.

Keywords: Betanin; Encapsulation; Gummy candy; Liposome; Nanoparticle.