by Renata Nayane Fernandes dos Santos, Thaís Souza Passos, Rafael da Silva Fernandes, Kátia Nicolau Matsui, Francisco Canindé de Sousa Júnior, Karla Suzanne Florentino da Silva Chaves Damasceno, Cristiane Fernandes de Assis
Astaxanthin-pigmented oil from shrimp waste meal was nanoencapsulated by O/W emulsification using porcine gelatin (EAG) and a combination with soy protein (EAGS 2:2 and EAGS 3:1) to improve the solubility and antioxidant activity of the pigmented oil. The encapsulates presented spherical shape and smooth surface; particle size equal to 159.68 (14.42) nm for EAG, 192.72 (10.44) nm for EAGS 2:2, and 95.41 (17.83) nm for EAGS 3:1; amorphous structure; and chemical interactions. The oil incorporation efficiency ranged from 87.60–89.20%, the percentage of astaxanthin incorporated was approximately 68%, and the dispersibility in water around 50%. The antioxidant potential evaluation indicated that all formulations preserve or enhance the antioxidant activity of the oil up to three times than non-encapsulated oil. Therefore, porcine gelatin alone or in combination with soy protein was effective in promoting the solubility and enhancing the antioxidant activity of the astaxanthin-pigmented oil, demonstrating interesting characteristics for use in food.