Food Research International, ( ISI ), Volume (237), No (1), Year (2026-5) , Pages (119352-13)

Title : ( Co-encapsulation of curcumin and catechin in a grass pea protein/beeswax bigel: Enhancing rheological properties, encapsulation efficiency, and bioaccessibility )

Authors: Ali Ebrahimzadeh , Arash Koocheki ,

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Abstract

Curcumin (CUR) and catechin (CAT) offer significant bioactivity, but their co-delivery is challenging due to their opposing solubilities, instability, and poor bioaccessibility. Therefore, to co-encapsulate CUR and CAT, a novel bigel preparation method (Type I) was developed, differing from the conventional approaches that involve mixing pre-formed gels. In this novel method, a grass pea protein isolate (GPPI) dispersion and beeswax/sunflower oil were homogenized at specific ratios (30:70, 50:50, and 70:30) and then incubated at 37 °C to induce enzymatic cross-linking. Type I bigels showed markedly improved structural and functional properties, including complete oil-binding capacity (100%), higher elastic modulus (3000 Pa), consistency index (375 Pa·sⁿ), and hardness (2.38 N), as well as enhanced encapsulation efficiency for both bioactives. During in vitro digestion, Type I systems delayed gastric release (CAT: 36%; CUR: 14% at 2 h) and promoted rapid intestinal release (CAT: 78%; CUR: 84% at 4 h), resulting in improved bioaccessibility (CUR: 66–76.3%; CAT: 35–43.8%). Notably, while the 70:30 HG-to-OG ratio provided optimal mechanical strength, the 50:50 ratio achieved superior controlled release and antioxidant activity. Therefore, this study introduces an energy-efficient, scalable strategy for bioactive delivery, enabling the sustainable production of innovative functional foods.

Keywords

, Grass pea protein isolate; Beeswax; Bigel; Co, encapsulation; Bioaccessibility
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@article{paperid:1107271,
author = {Ebrahimzadeh, Ali and Koocheki, Arash},
title = {Co-encapsulation of curcumin and catechin in a grass pea protein/beeswax bigel: Enhancing rheological properties, encapsulation efficiency, and bioaccessibility},
journal = {Food Research International},
year = {2026},
volume = {237},
number = {1},
month = {May},
issn = {0963-9969},
pages = {119352--13},
numpages = {-119339},
keywords = {Grass pea protein isolate; Beeswax; Bigel; Co-encapsulation; Bioaccessibility},
}

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%0 Journal Article
%T Co-encapsulation of curcumin and catechin in a grass pea protein/beeswax bigel: Enhancing rheological properties, encapsulation efficiency, and bioaccessibility
%A Ebrahimzadeh, Ali
%A Koocheki, Arash
%J Food Research International
%@ 0963-9969
%D 2026

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