Coacervates of whey proteins to protect and improve the oral delivery of a bioactive molecule

Anne Laure Chapeau (1, 2) , Nicolas Bertrand (3, 4) , Valérie Briard-Bion (1) , Pascaline Hamon (1) , Denis Poncelet (2) , Said Bouhallab (1)

1 STLO - Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Oeuf
2 GEPEA - Laboratoire de génie des procédés - environnement - agroalimentaire
3 Faculty of Pharmacy, CHU de Quebec Research Center
4 Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods INAF

The potentiality of heteroprotein complex coacervates as biocarrier for a bioactive was investigated. Vitamin B9 (B9), also known as folic acid, was encapsulated by complex coacervation of two whey proteins (WP), b-lactoglobulin and lactoferrin. The stability and bioavailability of formed B9-WP coacervates was then characterized. Under degradative conditions in vitro (UV light irradiation, and oxidation by H2O2), WP coacervates protected the vitamin against chemical degradation. B9-WP coacervates also showed considerable physical stability over time when incorporated in real food matrices. Compared to unencapsulated B9, oral administration of B9-WP coacervates to healthy rats enhanced the plasma level of the vitamin. This improved bioavailability can be ascribed to the improvement in the solubility of B9 throughout the gastro-intestinal tract. We thus demonstrate the efficiency of WP coacervates as biocarrier for the protection and delivery of small bioactive molecules.

Mots clés: protection; formulation; drug kinetics

Mots clés: vitamine b9; molécule bioactive; coacervation; encapsulation; pharmacocinétique; bioaccessibilité; formulation alimentaire; matrice alimentaire

Domaines: Alimentation et Nutrition; Ingénierie des aliments

Anne Laure Chapeau, Nicolas Bertrand, Valérie Briard-Bion, Pascaline Hamon, Denis Poncelet, et al.. Coacervates of whey proteins to protect and improve the oral delivery of a bioactive molecule. Journal of Functional Foods, 2017, 38, pp.197-204. ⟨10.1016/j.jff.2017.09.009⟩. ⟨hal-01593201⟩