Preparation and characterisation of novel water-soluble β-carotene-chitooligosaccharides complexes

beta-carotene and chitooligosaccharides are bioactive compounds that find their application in the food industry as well in biomedical fields. However, the application of beta-carotene is limited due to its very low water solubility, as well as its air, light and temperature sensitivity. The preparation of beta-carotene-chitooligosaccharides complexes by mechanochemical methods was presented. Their physical and chemical properties including solubility, size, zeta potential and radical scavenging activity were investigated. The interaction of the two components was shown by NMR, FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopy. The complexes were analysed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Chitooligosaccharides could serve as a carrier for beta-carotene delivery. The complexation did not cause the loss of the radical scavenging activity of beta-carotene and guaranteed its water solubility.