Alginate and whey protein based-multilayered particles: production, characterisation and resistance to pH, ionic strength and artificial gastric/intestinal fluid

Abstract

Multiple layers of whey protein and sodium alginate were assembled onto gelled alginate microparticles using electrostatic interaction. An experimental design was employed to evaluate the effect of the concentration of both hydrocolloids on the amount of protein that was adsorbed. In the first layer, a higher protein adsorption 32.5% w/w was obtained at pH 3.75. In the multilayered particle, the protein adsorbed reached 64.9% w/w. An analysis of protein solubilisation verified that 22% w/w was solubilised at an acidic pH (pH 2.0). The protein solubilisation increased with ionic strength, reaching 19.5% w/w in the highest NaCl concentration evaluated (200 mM). The particles were partially resistant to gastric conditions, with 30.5% w/w of total nitrogen protein solubilisation occurring after 2 h at pH 2.0; however, they did not resist the artificial intestine conditions, reaching 86.0% w/w of total nitrogen protein solubilisation after 5 h.

Keywords:

• Ionic gelation
• electrostatic adsorption
• layer-by-layer (LbL)
• alginate
• whey proteins

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to FMC Biopolymer (Campinas, S.P., Brazil) for the DMB alginate and to CNPq for the scholarship that supported the first author.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

Authors thank CNPq for the scholarship that supported the first author.