Encapsulation of curcumin in ZEIN-HTCC complexes: Physicochemical characterization, in vitro sustained release behavior and encapsulation mechanism

Abstract In order to improve the water solubility and stability of curcumin (CUR) and achieve its sustained release, the ZEIN–N-(2-hydroxy) propyl-3-trimethylammonium chitosan chloride (HTCC) complexes were designed to encapsulate CUR using an antisolvent precipitation (ASP) method. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC) of curcumin in ZEIN-HTCC complexes were 92.2% and 0.6%, respectively. After encapsulation, the resistance of curcumin to thermal, natural light and UV irradiation, as well as the antioxidative activity were improved significantly (P