BACKGROUND: Capsaicin, as a major pungent ingredient of peppers, has many health benefits. However, the strong irritation effect of capsaicin inhibits its application in the food industry. Emulsions can be an effective approach to alleviate the irritation.
RESULTS:In this study, we used tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) as an emulsifier to prepare capsaicin emulsions through high-pressure homogenization. Capsaicin emulsions with a particle size of about 100 nm, −36.4 mV zeta potential, and 91.9% encapsulation efficiency were prepared successfully and showed better environmental stability and higher antioxidant activity. Emulsions reduced the cumulative release of capsaicin and had no toxic effect on buffalo rat liver (BRL-3A) cells. Moreover, the gastrointestinal injury model of rats showed that emulsions reduced the strong irritation of capsaicin.
CONCLUSION: This work provides a theoretical basis for the application of irritant ingredients in food industry.
Statistical analysisAll experiments were performed at least three times and were reported as the mean ± standard deviation (SD). The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA using the SPSS 20.0 package (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) followed by Duncan's multiple-range test to determine significant differences. Means were considered to be statistically distinct at P < 0.05.J Sci Food Agric 2020; 100: 129-138 Figure 4. H&E staining of gastrointestinal tissues (× 200) (A and B), the effect of different treatments on the mRNA levels of tight junction proteins in gastrointestinal tissues of SD rats and the levels of LPS in plasma of SD rats. (C) ZO-1, (D) occludin, (E) claudin-1, (F) LPS in plasma. Data presented as mean ± SEM, n ≥ 5, * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01. J Sci Food Agric 2020; 100: 129-138
CONCLUSIONSThis work prepared safe and stable emulsions by high-pressure homogenization using an FDA-approved material, TPGS, as an J Sci Food Agric 2020; 100: 129-138