Increase in stability and change in supramolecular structure of β-carotene through encapsulation into polylactic acid nanoparticles

International audience; β-Carotene (BC) exhibits controversial antioxidant properties as it may act also as a prooxidant. Its stability toward oxidation depends on its dispersion form and can be increased through encapsulation. In this study, oxidation of BC from synthetic and natural origins was investigated after dispersion in Tween micelles or poly lactic acid (PLA) particles. Two oxidation systems were used: autooxidation and oxidation by xanthine oxidase-generated-reactive oxygen species. Results showed that synthetic BC formed nanometric negatively-charged particles in both Tween micelle and PLA systems, whereas the natural BC sample used was shown to be already pre-oxidised, forming …