In vitro digestibility of Aucklandia costus-loaded nanophytosomes and their use in yoghurt as a food model

Abstract

This work achieved the encapsulation of valuable bioactive substances from Aucklandia costus (AC) in nanophytosomes as a new phytoconstituent delivery system. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and solventmaceration methods were used to extract oil and phenolics from AC, respectively. The physicochemical characterizationof SFE-oil and phenolic extract (PE)- High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to identify and quantify all compounds extracted fromAC using both extraction methods. loaded nanophytosomes was studied using dynamic light scattering (DLS),encapsulation efficiency (EE), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The in vitro digestibility of SFE-oiland PE-loaded nanophytosomes after in vitro digestion was determined. Yoghurt was selected as a food model for fortification with AC-loaded nanophytosomes at different concentrations (5%, 10%, and 15%). pH, acidity, water holding capacity (WHC), and viscosity were evaluated in all yoghurt samples during storage, while color analysis and sensory evaluation were evaluated at 0 days. Optimized SFE-oil- and PE-loaded nanophytosomes showed promising results, and the bioavailability suggested that nanoencapsulation provided a controlled release of the phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Moreover, the addition of AC-loaded nanophytosomes into yoghurtresulted in increases in the viscosity (16.53 Pa s-1) and decreases in WHC (59.50%). Yoghurts with AC-loaded nanophytosomes were more stable than the control (yoghurt without nanophytosomes). Overall, the current findings indicated that AC-loaded nanophytosomes would be a preferable candidate for incorporation into yoghurt to improve its quality. This research might provide scientific evidence supporting AC-loaded nanophytosomes as possible fortifying elements in manufacturing functional yoghurt and a new vision for designing unique dairy products with functional qualities.