LAUSR

BACKGROUND Oil bodies (OBs) are a kind of natural and stable oil nucleate microcapsule in which the triglyceride matrix can be used as an appropriate carrier of hydrophobic molecules. Astaxanthin has high antioxidant properties, but is extremely sensitive to oxidation, causing the loss of its bioactive properties. RESULTS The purpose of this study was to clarify effects of environmental factors (light, oxygen, temperature, pH) on physical and oxidative stability of astaxanthin microcapsules prepared with peanut oil bodies (POBs). After 14 days of storage, the retention rate of astaxanthin in peanut oil microcapsules (POMs) was significantly increased. The astaxanthin retention rate of POMs stored under light condition was higher than that under dark condition. Similarly, the retention rate of astaxanthin in POM was significantly increased during vacuum storage. In addition, astaxanthin retention rate was the highest when POMs were stored at 4°C, whereas it was the lowest at pH3.0. CONCLUSION The experiment could effectively prove that microcapsulation could improve astaxanthin retention rate and storage stability, and recombinant OBs were potential ideal wall materials for astaxanthin embedding. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.