화학공학소재연구정보센터
Journal of Supercritical Fluids, Vol.84, 105-112, 2013
Solubility of beta-carotene in poly-(epsilon-caprolactone) particles produced in colloidal state by Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Emulsions (SFEE)
beta-Carotene is one of the most common pigments in nature. In food applications, beta-carotene formulations are very attractive because they add value to the product due to their antioxidant and pro-vitamin activities. On the other hand, miscibility and solubility data of the active compound in the carrier material are relevant for the design and development of optimum formulations. This work presents a study of the solubility of beta-carotene in the range of temperature between 10 degrees C and 50 degrees C in poly-(epsilon-caprolactones) with different molecular weights (between 4000 and 25,000 g mol(-1)) produced in colloidal state by Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Emulsions. The determination of the solubility of beta-carotene was carried out by two different methods: equilibration-impregnation and equilibration-de-supersaturation. Results obtained by impregnation showed that beta-carotene content impregnated into the PCLs increased gradually when the temperature was increased, obtaining maximum beta-carotene contents between 87 and 191 ppm depending on the molecular weight of the polycaprolactone. However, results obtained by de-supersaturation experiments showed beta-carotene contents considerably higher than those achieved in impregnation experiments, obtaining a maximum beta-carotene content of 8800 ppm when polycaprolactone with the highest molecular weight was used. This result can be due to the slow release of entrapped beta-carotene crystals from PCL particles. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.