Enhanced Physicochemical Stability of β-Carotene Emulsions Stabilized by β-Lactoglobulin-Ferulic Acid-Chitosan Ternary Conjugate

The purpose of the present work is to fabricate emulsions with excellent stability to deliver beta-carotene using a novel biomacromolecule. beta-Lactoglobulin-ferulic acid-chitosan ternary conjugate (BFCC), which was synthesized based on the carbodiimide-mediated coupling reaction and laccase induction, was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectra. Also, BFCC was used to stabilize beta-carotene emulsions. The results indicated that the concentration of BFCC affected the physical stability of beta-carotene emulsions. Compared with the emulsions stabilized by beta lactoglobulin (beta-LG), chitosan-ferulic acid conjugate (CFC), and beta-LG-CFC mixture (BFCM), the emulsion stabilized by BFCC exhibited better stability under various environmental stresses. Moreover, the emulsion stabilized by BFCC had higher beta-carotene retention during storage at 25 and 55 degrees C or under ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. The knowledge acquired in the current research offered an effective way to develop novel biomacromolecular emulsifiers and could find potential in fabricating delivery systems for bioactive compounds with markedly enhanced physiochemical properties.