Stability and controlled release of lutein loaded in zein nanoparticles with and without lecithin and pluronic F127 surfactants

The ability of zein nanoparticles, made with and without surfactants, to protect lutein from oxidation and to control its release was studied under various conditions. A combination of lecithin and pluronic F127 as surfactants was used to promote physicochemical stability of the nanoparticles and entrapped bioactives. Surfactant use resulted in an increased size, improved polydispersity index, decreased zeta potential, and improved entrapment efficiency. A two-phase lutein release profile was observed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) that consisted of an initial-burst release at 24 h, decreased in the presence of surfactants, followed by a gradual zero-order release profile for both systems. Lutein degradation followed second-order kinetics with no significant difference between nanoentrapped lutein and emulsified control. Nanoparticles stabilized with surfactants did improve chemical stability of lutein under different temperatures and in the presence of UV. Based on this data, the zein nanoparticles stabilized with surfactants proved to be able to protect lutein against chemical degradation and to slow down lutein release under PBS conditions. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.