Microencapsulation of functional ovalbumin and bovine serum albumin with polylysine-alginate complex for sustained protein vehicle's development

Overcoming harsh gastric environment is still a challenging to bioactive proteins, microencapsulation provides one strategy in designing this protection barrier. In this work, bovine serum albumin and ovalbumin were chosen as model proteins, while polylysine-alginate complex was fabricated for microencapsulation purpose. Both of the protein-loaded microcapsules had regular internal microstructures. The model protein's embedding increased the thermal stability of the microcapsules. Both of the protein-loaded microcapsules had a slow release rate in simulated gastric fluids (pH 3.0), while a sustained release profile in simulated intestinal fluids (pH 6.4), indi-cating an excellent tolerance to the acidic gastric environment. The microencapsulation process was mild and had no influence on the protein's molecular weight, while a slight peak shifting occurred in the secondary structure of the released proteins. The developed microcapsules could be explored as a kind of vehicle for bioactive proteins applied in functional foods, health care products and medical formulations.

Automated summary

The study focused on overcoming the challenges bioactive proteins face in the harsh gastric environment, utilizing microencapsulation as a strategy to protect them. Bovine serum albumin and ovalbumin were used as model proteins, with a polylysine-alginate complex fabricated for microencapsulation. Results showed that the protein-loaded microcapsules exhibited excellent tolerability to the acidic gastric environment, with slow release in simulated gastric fluids and sustained release in intestinal fluids. The developed microcapsules could potentially be used as a vehicle for bioactive proteins in functional foods, health care products, and medical formulations.