PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF NANOCAPSULATED CAPSAICIN BY COMPLEX COACERVATION METHOD

Abstract

The application of gelatin and acacia protective colloid for encapsulating capsaicin was demonstrated using a complex coacervation technique. The effects of shearing force, the gelatin and acacia viscosity, and cross-linking time on the particle size of the nanocapsulated capsaicin (NC) agents were investigated. Structure and morphology of the nanocapsules prepared by the most suitable conditions was demonstrated by Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Thermal properties of the NC agents were measured by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Results showed that the NC agents had a mean diameter of about 100 nm, and the melting point and degradation properties were relatively improved.

Keywords:

• Capsaicin
• Complex coacervation
• Morphology
• Nanoencapsulation
• Properties

Acknowledgment

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Funds (Project No. 50803034), Shanghai Universities knowledge Innovation Engineering Project (Project No. J20904), and Key Project of Shanghai Educational Commission Foundation (Project No. 05ZZ62).