Randomized trial assesses controlled release of pomegranate peel anthocyanins in agar aerogels, indicating implications for functional foods.
Key Points
The study aims to develop an agar aerogel-based delivery system for enhancing the stability and release of pomegranate peel anthocyanins.
Designed agar aerogels with varying agar concentrations (1.5–3%) to analyze structural and release properties.
Measured encapsulation efficiency and loading of pomegranate peel anthocyanins (PPA) in vitro, with conditions simulating intestinal digestion.
Utilized kinetic modeling to understand release behavior focusing on diffusion and polymer relaxation mechanisms.
Achieved high encapsulation efficiency of 91.7% and loading of 22.97% for PPA in agar aerogels.
Observed 51.2% loss of PPA in intestinal conditions, compared to 28% loss for free anthocyanins, due to bile salt-induced matrix disintegration.
Kinetic modeling showed release governed by coupled diffusion and polymer relaxation (R² = 0.94, n = 0.43-0.6), indicating tunability via agar concentration.