Hawthorn pectin/soybean isolate protein hydrogel bead as a promising ferrous ion-embedded delivery system.

In this study, hydrogel beads [SPI/HP-Fe (II)] were prepared by cross-linking soybean isolate protein (SPI) and hawthorn pectin (HP) with ferrous ions as a backbone, and the effects of ultrasound and Fe2+ concentration on the mechanical properties and the degree of cross-linking of internal molecules were investigated. The results of textural properties and water-holding capacity showed that moderate ultrasonic power and Fe2+ concentration significantly improved the stability and water-holding capacity of the hydrogel beads and enhanced the intermolecular interactions in the system. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that the hydrogel beads with 60% ultrasonic power and 8% Fe2+ concentration had a denser network. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic absorption experiments demonstrated that ferrous ions were successfully loaded into the hydrogel beads with an encapsulation efficiency of 82.5%. In addition, in vitro, simulated digestion experiments were performed to understand how the encapsulated Fe2+ is released from the hydrogel beads, absorbed, and utilized in the gastrointestinal environment. The success of the experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel beads were able to withstand harsh environments, ensuring the bioactivity of Fe2+ and improving its bioavailability. In conclusion, a novel and efficient ferrous ion delivery system was developed using SPI and HP, demonstrating the potential application of SPI/HP-Fe (II) hydrogel beads as an iron supplement to overcome the inefficiency of intake of conventional iron supplements.

Encapsulation and sustained release of curcumin by hawthorn pectin and Tenebrio Molitor protein composite hydrogel.

In this study, the effects of pH value, mixing ratio and the Ca2+ concentration on the complex gelation of hawthorn pectin (HP) and Tenebrio Molitor protein (TMP) were investigated. The turbidity results showed that the composite gel had the maximum polymer concentration when the mixing ratio was 2:1 and the pH value was 3.35. The rheological measurement results showed that TMP/HP (15 mmol/L) hydrogel (THIH) had the highest storage modulus and loss modulus, indicating that the properties of the hydrogel at this Ca2+ concentration had been significantly improved. The results of scanning electron microscope and pore size also proved that the network structure prepared under this condition was compact and uniform, the pore size was small, which was beneficial to the entrapment of active components. Subsequently, in order to explore the storage stability and antioxidant activity of THIH-loaded curcumin in simulated gastrointestinal environment, in vitro simulated digestion experiment was carried out and satisfactory results were obtained. To sum up, THIH was a promising delivery system with broad application prospects, which was expected to provide a novel idea for the entrapment and delivery of active components.

Comparative study of HG-type low-ester hawthorn pectin as a promising material for the preparation of hydrogel.

Homogalacturonan (HG)-type pectin has been considered suitable for the formation of hydrogel, but it is unknown whether the less side chain will limit the properties of hydrogel. The current study successfully obtained low methoxyl HG-type hawthorn pectin (LMHP) from hawthorn by sequential hot water extraction and alkaline de-esterification. The proportion of HG domain, the proportion of rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) domain, molecular weight, and particle size of LMHP were 81.13 %, 4.04 %, 348.43 kDa, and 1386.92 nm, respectively. Compared with commercial citrus pectin (CP), LMHP was more suitable for the preparation of hydrogel. The hydrogel with the densest network structure and relatively stable performance in digestion simulation environment can be obtained as the concentration of LMHP increases to 2.5 %, which is lower than the consumption of commercial citrus pectin. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of hawthorn pectin as a novel hydrogel raw material.