Hydrophobically modified sodium alginate for the encapsulation and controlled release of lutein

Han, Lingyu, Zhai, Ruiyi, Williams, Peter A, Dong, Nuo, Yang, Jixin and Hu, Bing (2025) Hydrophobically modified sodium alginate for the encapsulation and controlled release of lutein. Food Hydrocolloids, 172 (3). p. 112109. ISSN 0268-005X

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Abstract

Amphiphilic derivatives of sodium alginate were generated by acylation with alkyl chains of varying lengths. These derivatives possessed the flexible sodium alginate chain and could self-assemble into globular-shaped micelles via hydrophobic interactions in aqueous solutions. Both the critical aggregation concentration and hydration diameters of the aggregates were reduced as the length of the hydrophobic chains increased at similar degrees of substitution, and increased alkyl chain lengths were associated with improved encapsulation efficiencies and loading capacities. Lutein-loaded micellar aggregates showed significantly increased environmental stability on exposure to temperature, UV, and visible-light radiation. The in vitro release of lutein from the aggregates followed the non-Fickian diffusion model. MTT assays indicated no marked cytotoxicity to RAW 264.7 cells at 1000 μg/mL concentration. Using lutein as a model, the potential of the micellar-like aggregates as hydrophobic carriers was assessed, demonstrating a correlation between lutein release and alkyl chain length. These findings demonstrate the potential of amphiphilic derivatives of sodium alginate with tunable structures and properties for applications in the food industry.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Sodium alginate, Hydrophobic modification, Long-chain fatty acyl chloride, Lutein, Targeted delivery
Divisions:	Applied Science, Computing and Engineering
Depositing User:	Hayley Dennis
Date Deposited:	13 Nov 2025 10:28
Last Modified:	13 Nov 2025 10:28
URI:	https://wrexham.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/18371

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