Characterizing and Developing the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of the Nano-Encapsulated Bioactive Compounds of <i>Spirulina platensis</i> in Liposome
Mahin Rigi, Seyed Mahdi Ojagh, Alireza Alishahi, Shirin Hasani
Abstract
This study was done to prepare a nanoliposomal system incorporated with bioactive compounds extracted from microalgae (Spirulina platensis) with chitosan coating (0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% w/v) and to characterize the physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of nanoliposomes. The results show that the mean particle size was in the range of 350.1–702.5 nm with a zeta potential from −64.3 to +30.4 and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.22–0.55 in nanoliposomes. The encapsulation efficiency (EE%) values were significantly influenced by chitosan concentration in liposomes. The antioxidant activity of free and nanoliposomal samples was estimated using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assay. The antibacterial activity of free extract and nanoliposomes against common Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) was indicated by MIC and MBC. The results showed that antioxidant and antibacterial activities were significantly increased after encapsulation compared to the free algal extract. Hence, the spirulina extract encapsulated in nanoliposomes can be used as a unique delivery system for natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds for direct application in food.