Ghodbane A. , Bohli T. , Vela-Albarrán M. , SANTOS GARCÍA, JENIFER, Trujillo-Cayado L.A. , Ouederni A.
No
Appl. Sci.-Basel
Article
Científica
2
2
01/01/2026
2-s2.0-105045941005
The incorporation of lipophilic bioactive compounds into aqueous food matrices requires delivery systems capable of improving their dispersion and storage stability. This study developed oil-in-water emulsions containing ß-carotene-rich sunflower oil extracted from Dunaliella salina, using a commercial blue Spirulina extract as a bio-based emulsifier. The Spirulina extract concentration was initially screened from 0.5 to 3 wt.%, and the processing conditions were subsequently optimized through a central composite design and response surface methodology. The systems were characterized in terms of droplet size distribution, physical stability, apparent encapsulation efficiency, microstructure, and ß-carotene retention at 4 and 25 °C. A Spirulina concentration of 2.5 wt.% produced the smallest droplet size during the preliminary screening, whereas 3 wt.% resulted in larger droplets and broader distributions. The optimized formulation exhibited a D3,2 of 0.680 µm, an apparent encapsulation efficiency of 91.4 ± 2.1%, and a Turbiscan Stability Index of approximately 4.8 after 30 days. ß-Carotene retention after 30 days was 68.5% at 25 °C and 91.3% at 4 °C, compared with 41.8% and 80.7%, respectively, in the non-emulsified oil. These results support the potential of Spirulina-stabilized emulsions as sustainable carriers for carotenoid-enriched food products. © 2026 by the authors.
Drops; Emulsification; Emulsions; Encapsulation; Extraction; Food products; Food storage; Ostwald ripening; Pigments; Screening; Stability; Surface properties; beta carotene; carotenoid; emulsifying agent; Spirulina extract; sunflower oil; Carotenoid retentions; Clean-label emulsifier; Delivery systems; Dunaliella salina; Encapsulation efficiency; Physical stability; Response-surface methodology; Spirulina; Sustainable delivery; Ultra-sonication; Article; biomass; central composite design; degradation kinetics; dispersion; dispersity; drug delivery system; Dunaliella salina; emulsion; encapsulation; field emission scanning electron microscopy; half life time; light scattering; microscopy; molecular weight; multiple light scattering; nonhuman; oxidation; particle size; refrigeration; response surface method; room temperature; Spirulina; surface area; ultraviolet visible spectrophotometry; Efficiency