Formulation of β-carotene by precipitation from pressurized ethyl acetate-on-water emulsions for application as natural colorant

beta-Carotene formulations are very attractive as natural colorants as they provide additional value to the product due to their antioxidant and pro-vitamin activities. Application of beta-carotene as colorants in beverages requires an appropriate formulation in order to stabilize the particles of beta-carotene in suspension and provide the desired colour. This work presents a study of the formulation of beta-carotene by precipitation from a pressurized ethyl acetate-in-water emulsion using modified OSA-starch refined from waxy maize as carrier material. Formulations of beta-carotene with a high encapsulation efficiency of beta-carotene (over 65% in most cases and as high as 90% with specific conditions), high antioxidant activity and a micellar particle size in the range of 300-600 nm were obtained. The concentration of modified starch and the organic solvent/water flow ratio were the process parameters with most influence on product properties. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.