Encapsulation of β-carotene-loaded oil droplets in caseinate/alginate microparticles: Enhancement of carotenoid stability and bioaccessibility

Abstract β-carotene was encapsulated in biopolymer microparticles formed by electrostatic complexation to improve its water-solubility, chemical stability, and bioavailability characteristics. The β-carotene-loaded microparticles had a particle size (1.87 ± 0.03 μm) larger than that of caseinate emulsions (0.48 ± 0.01 μm) ( P in vitro digestion experiment showed that the β-carotene in microparticles had a higher bioaccessibility and chemical stability (67.57 ± 2.72% and 80.03 ± 1.95%, respectively) than in emulsions (30.03 ± 1.87% and 70.87 ± 1.52%, respectively) ( P