Characteristics of liposomes derived from egg yolk

Liposomes are nanocapsules successfully applied in pharmacy and medicine. Their usage in the food industry could be increased by the development of alternative, cost-efficient lecithin materials. This work is a continuation of the previous two papers describing five different extractions of egg yolk lecithins and the pre-assessment of their usefulness for liposome formation. Physicochemical properties of extracts differed due to distinct composition. The aim of this research was to further characterise the extracts-based liposomes, especially in terms of nanomechanical properties and structural diversity. Five previously described extracts were used for liposomes preparation employing Bangham technique. Vesicles were analysed with the use of dynamic light scattering, flow cytometry, and atomic force microscopy. The results were tested for correlation with the composition of the extracts. It was proved that the chemical composition of the shell-forming material determined the size, structure, stability, and mechanical properties of the vesicles. The observed effects were found to result not only from differences in the content of major components, i.e. phospholipids, acylglycerols, and cholesterol, but also in the relative proportions. Minor constituents, i.e. tocopherols and carotenoids, were also found to be of significance. Strong correlations between size and Zeta potential of the vesicles with the content of carotenoids were determined.