Infuence of milk fat on the physicochemical property of nanoencapsulated curcumin and enhancement of its biological properties thereof.

t Curcumin, bioactive from turmeric Curcuma
longa, has been known for its therapeutic properties. How�ever, its lipophilic nature and poor bioavailability are the
constraints to harnessing its properties. Encapsulation in
nano-size helps to alleviate the constraints and enhance its
biological properties due to its higher surface area. The study
aims to encapsulate curcumin in a nanometer size range by
solubilizing in lipid (milk fat) and using milk protein as
a water-soluble carrier. The lipid:curcumin ratio (1:0.05,
1:0.1, 1:0.2, 1.5:0.1, 1.5:0.2, 2.0:0.1 and 2:0.2% (w/w)) pro�duced nanoemulsion with droplets sizes 30–200 nm. The
sample containing lipid: curcumin, as 1.0:0.05 resulted in an
encapsulation efciency of 92.6%, and its binding interac�tion with the carrier, was KD =4.7 µM. A high solubility of
curcumin in milk fat and digestion during in vitro lipolysis
increased its bioaccessibility. A simulated gastro-intestinal
in vitro studies showed that cumulative release percentage
of nanoencapsulated curcumin was 60% at pH 7.4 compared
to 0.8% of native curcumin. The anti-microbial property of
nanoencapsulated curcumin was more potent than native
curcumin against food pathogenic organisms such as S.
aureus, B. cereus, E. coli, B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa, P. aer�uginosa, C. violaceum.