Heat Stability of Differently Stabilized Solid Lipid Nanoparticles in the Presence of Excess Bulk Phase Protein

In order to apply emulsion-based delivery systems to food, they have to be stable in a protein rich environment. This study investigated the stability of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) during heat treatment in the presence or absence of β-lactoglobulin (BLG). SLN were stabilized either by Tween 20 (TS) or by the protein itself (BS) and were enriched to a total BLG content of 56 mg/mL. The sizes of both types of SLN were initially in the range of 170 nm. The amount of free protein was determined before and after enrichment with BLG. As revealed by particle size and zeta potential measurements, a protein layer of BLG (hard corona) adsorbed on BS but not on TS. By contrast, a soft corona was formed around both BS and TS. SLN were heat treated in the presence and absence of protein and were characterized regarding size and zeta potential. According to transmission electron microscopy imaging, heating did not affect the shape of TS and BS: TS were platelets, whereas BS exhibited a spherical or platelet like shape. Upon heat treatment, the particle size of TS increased to about 3.5 fold of the initial size (to appr. 600 nm) in the presence and in the absence of excess protein. The cloudy protein layer (soft corona) around TS could thus not prevent coalescence of TS. By contrast, BS did not experience a change in particle size. Hence, by the choice of emulsifier, an encapsulation system that is stable against heat treatment can be obtained.