Effect of fatty acid chain length on physicochemical properties of starch nanocomposites obtained via nanoprecipitation

To evaluate the effect of elaborate difference in the hydrophobicity of core material on encapsulation process and physicochemical properties of the composites, composites of starch and FA with various chain lengths (C:12-22) were prepared via nanoprecipitation. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that all composites had a V-h-amylose crystalline unit cell, but the chain length of FA did not induce a clear change in crystallinity or the hydrodynamic mean diameter of the composites. As the chain length of FA increased from 12 to 22, FA content in the composites increased from 1.69 to 14.85 mg/g composite. The absorption analyses of Rose Bengal on the composite surfaces revealed that their hydrophobicity increased with increasing chain length of FA. The incorporation of FA enhanced the emulsification activity of the composites, and this result revealed that the composites could be applied as an emulsification agent. For longer FA, composite storage stability increased, but the release of FA by in vitro digestion was delayed.

Automated summary

Nanoprecipitation was used to prepare composites of starch and fatty acid (FA) with different chain lengths (C: 12-22) to evaluate the effect of hydrophobicity difference in core material on encapsulation process and physicochemical properties. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that all composites had a V-h-amylose crystalline unit cell, with no clear change in crystallinity or hydrodynamic mean diameter with increasing FA chain length. The hydrophobicity of the composite surfaces increased with longer FA chain length, as indicated by Rose Bengal absorption analysis. The incorporation of FA enhanced the emulsification activity of the composites, suggesting their potential application as emulsification agents. Longer FA chain length improved storage stability of the composites, but delayed the release of FA during in vitro digestion.