Fabrication of high strength cold-set sodium alginate/whey protein nanofiber double network hydrogels and their interaction with curcumin

Sijie Wu; Lu Wang; Yingying Zhao; Bilian Chen; Dan Qiu; Peilong Sun; Ping Shao; Simin Feng

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112490

Fabrication of high strength cold-set sodium alginate/whey protein nanofiber double network hydrogels and their interaction with curcumin

Food Res Int. 2023 Mar:165:112490. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112490. Epub 2023 Jan 20.

Authors

Sijie Wu¹, Lu Wang¹, Yingying Zhao¹, Bilian Chen², Dan Qiu³, Peilong Sun⁴, Ping Shao⁴, Simin Feng⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
² Zhejiang Institute for Food and Drug Control, Hangzhou 310052, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
³ School of Material and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University of Technology, Ningbo 315211, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Department of Food Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Food Macromolecular Resources Processing Technology Research (Zhejiang University of Technology), China National Light Industry, People's Republic of China.
⁵ Department of Food Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Food Macromolecular Resources Processing Technology Research (Zhejiang University of Technology), China National Light Industry, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: fengsimin@zjut.edu.cn.

PMID: 36869501
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112490

Abstract

Enhancing the bio-based hydrogels strength is fundamental to extend their engineering applications. In this study, high strength cold-set sodium alginate/whey protein nanofiber (SA/WPN) double network hydrogels were prepared and their interaction with curcumin (Cur) was studied. Our results indicated that the rheological and textural properties of SA/WPN double network hydrogels were enhanced with increasing WPN by forming SA-COO^--Ca²⁺-^-OOC-WPN bridge through electrostatic interactions. The storage modulus (768.2 Pa), hardness (273.3 g), adhesiveness (318.7 g·sec) and cohesiveness (0.464) of SA/WPN50 (WPN concentration of 50 mg/mL) double network hydrogels were 3.75, 2.26, 3.76 and 2.19 times higher than those of SA hydrogels, respectively. Cur was combined with SA/WPN hydrogels through hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces and hydrophobic interactions with an encapsulation efficiency of 91.6 ± 0.8 %, and the crystalline state was changed after binding. In conclusion, SA/WPN double network hydrogels can be enhanced by the addition of WPN and have potential as carriers for hydrophobic bioactive substances.

Keywords: Curcumin; Double network hydrogel; Gel enhancement; Sodium alginate; Whey protein nanofiber.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Alginates
Curcumin*
Hydrogels
Nanofibers*
Whey Proteins

Substances

Whey Proteins
Curcumin
Alginates
Hydrogels