Enhancing the emulsifying properties of dihydromyricetin-based nanoparticles for the fabrication of β-carotene-loaded emulsions under various pH.

Background

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) possesses excellent antioxidant capacity and multiple bioactivities, yet its poor water solubility, intense bitterness, and low bioavailability severely limit its application as a functional ingredient. Constructing composite nanoparticles using hydrolyzed wheat gluten (HWG) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as co-wall materials represents a promising strategy to overcome these drawbacks and to fabricate stable Pickering emulsions for β-carotene delivery. However, systematic investigations on the emulsifying properties and β-carotene protective effects of HWG/β-CD-DMY composite particles under different pH conditions remain lacking. Therefore, this study prepared HWG/β-CD-DMY composite particles at varying mass ratios and evaluated their ability to stabilize β-carotene-loaded emulsions across a range of pH values.

Results

The mass ratio of HWG-to-β-CD significantly influenced particle properties. For the stable composite particle system, the 1:10 ratio yielded a suitable particle size (~495 nm), along with improved DMY dispersion and reduced interfacial tension. Under all tested pH conditions (4.5, 5.5, and 6.5), encapsulation within HWG/β-CD-DMY-stabilized emulsions markedly improved β-carotene stability at both 25 °C and 40 °C. After 7 days of storage, β-carotene degradation rates were only 7.0-15.84% at 25 °C and 17.29-25.66% at 40 °C, with the most pronounced protective effect observed at pH 4.5.

Conclusion

Stable HWG/β-CD-DMY composite nanoparticles were successfully fabricated and significantly enhanced the chemical stability of β-carotene while improving the thermal and acid stability of the emulsions. Owing to their strong encapsulation capacity, these composite nanoparticles hold considerable potential as delivery vehicles for bioactive compounds in the food and pharmaceutical industries. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.