Physicochemical stability and in vitro bioaccessibility of β-carotene emulsions stabilized with arabinoxylan hydrolysates-soy protein isolate conjugates

The physicochemical stability of β-carotene emulsions and the bioaccessibility of β-carotene stabilized by arabinoxylan hydrolysate (AXH)-soy protein isolate (SPI) conjugates (formed by dry heating) was evaluated. β-Carotene emulsions were prepared using SPI, AXH/SPI mixtures and AXH-SPI conjugates separately. Results of mean droplet size and zeta potential indicated that AXH-SPI conjugates-stabilized emulsions are less sensitive to environmental stress, and exhibit better stability during long time storage and simulated gastrointestinal digestion, as compared with emulsions stabilized with AXH/SPI mixtures or SPI alone. In addition, emulsions stabilized by AXH-SPI conjugates exhibited higher chemical stability and bioaccessibility of β-carotene. These results suggested that AXH-SPI conjugates-stabilized emulsions developed in this study have potential applications as protectors and carriers of liposoluble active ingredients.