To provide efficient antioxidant capacities, proper carriers are needed to protect antioxidants against oxidative stress. Collagen mesh structure or chitosan gel was loaded with α-tocopherol and their effects were evaluated in bulk corn oil or oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion at 60 °C. Added collagen and chitosan enhanced oxidative stability in corn oil and O/W emulsions at 60 °C compared to corn oils without carriers or with addition of α-tocopherol (p < 0.05). Stability of α-tocopherol in corn oil loaded in collagen or chitosan was significantly enhanced compared to that in oils without carriers (p < 0.05). In O/W emulsions, α-tocopherol loaded collagen showed higher antioxidant properties than α-tocopherol loaded chitosan (p < 0.05). Collagen mesh structure and chitosan gel retarded the rates of lipid oxidation efficiently in both food matrices when α-tocopherol was not loaded. Collagen mesh structure and chitosan gel can be useful carriers for α-tocopherol in bulk oil or O/W emulsion.
Keywords: Bulk oil; Chitosan; Collagen; Oil-in-water emulsion; Oxidative stability; α-tocopherol.