Olive pectin-chitosan nanocomplexes for improving stability and bioavailability of blueberry anthocyanins

Blueberry anthocyanins (ANCs) are natural dietary bioactive colorants, but are unstable and easily degraded. To improve their stability, we constructed the nanocarriers for ANCs through an electrostatic self-assembly method, using chitosan (CS) and olive pectin (PC). Results showed that the CS-ANCs-PC nanocomplexes had nanoscale particle size (81.22 +/- 0.44 nm), and an encapsulation efficiency of 91.97 +/- 0.33% at pH 3.0, 1:1:5 ratio (m/v) of CS: ANCs: PC. Fourier transform infrared and UV-visible spectra demonstrated that ANCs can be embedded into the CS-PC carrier through electrostatic interaction. CS-ANCs-PC with stacked spherical particle structure had good thermal stability by scanning electron microscope and thermogravimetric analysis. Compared with free anthocyanins, CS-ANCs-PC possessed better DPPH. and .OH scavenging activities, stronger environmental sta-bility, and better targeted release in vitro digestion. This study may provide an important fundamental basis for improving the stability of anthocyanins in the blueberry industry.

Automated summary

Nanocarriers for blueberry anthocyanins (ANCs) were constructed using chitosan (CS) and olive pectin (PC) through an electrostatic self-assembly method to improve their stability. The nanocomplexes had a nanoscale particle size of 81.22 +/- 0.44 nm, with an encapsulation efficiency of 91.97 +/- 0.33% at pH 3.0 and a CS: ANCs: PC ratio of 1:1:5 (m/v). The CS-ANCs-PC showed better scavenging activities, environmental stability, and targeted release in vitro digestion compared to free anthocyanins. This study provides a fundamental basis for enhancing the stability of anthocyanins in the blueberry industry.