Enhanced pH and thermal stability, solubility and antioxidant activity of resveratrol by nanocomplexation with α-lactalbumin

Abstract

The health-promoting benefits of resveratrol (RES) have attracted significant attention. Poor water solubility and chemical stability, however, hindered its application. In this study, α-lactalbumin (ALA)–RES nanoparticles were prepared by a simple nanocomplexation protocol. The particle sizes of ALA and the ALA–RES complex were 87.8, and 95.3 nm, respectively. AFM confirmed that both nanoparticles were spherical. XRD results confirmed that RES in ALA nanoparticles was amorphous. Fluorescence spectroscopy and FTIR showed that the ALA–RES nanocomplex was formed mainly by hydrophobic interactions. The water solubility increased by 32 times, compared to that of free RES. ALA nanocomplexation also appreciably improved the chemical stability of RES under all storage conditions, especially at pH 8.0 and high temperature. The ALA–RES nanocomplex showed significantly higher in vitro antioxidant activity than free RES. The results showed that the simple ALA–RES nanocomplex has the potential to be used as an effective antioxidant. The information obtained may enable the expanded application of ALA as an effective nanoscale carrier for delivering RES or other lipophilic nutraceuticals in the functional food, biomedical, and pharmaceutical products.