An investigation into structural properties and stability of debranched starch-lycopene inclusion complexes with different branching degrees.

Debranched starch (DBS) has great probability as carrier for bioactive ingredients, but effects of branching degree (DB) on the complex formation of starch remain unclear. This study investigated the potential of DBS with different DB to load lycopene and characterized the structural properties of inclusion complexes. Glutinous rice starch was debranched to get DBS with different molecular weights, where DBS with a branching degree of 11.42 % had the greatest encapsulation efficiency (64.81 %). SEM, particle size, and zeta-potential results showed that the complexes form stable spherical crystals through electrostatic interactions. The structures of complexes were resolved by FTIR, XRD, TGA, and ¹³ C CP/MAS NMR analytical techniques, indicating that lycopene can be loaded on DBS by the self-assembly through hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions. Degradation experiments revealed that retention of complexes was significantly higher than the unencapsulated one. Our study reveals the structural features of the complex between DBS and lycopene, providing theoretical guidance for developing and producing novel nutraceuticals.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors and there are no other persons who satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. We further confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us. The authors declare no competing financial interest. We confirm that the content of the manuscript has not been officially published and there is no such thing as duplicate submission. We have given due consideration to the protection of intellectual property associated with this work and confirm that there are no impediments to publication, including the timing of publication, with respect to intellectual property. In so doing we confirm that we have followed the regulations of our institutions concerning intellectual property. No human or animal studies are presented in this manuscript.
(Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)