Evaluation of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Produced with Interesterified Buriti Oil

Research background. Extracted from the pulp of an Amazonian fruit, buriti oil is rich in micronutrients with antioxidant properties and high biological value. The few studies available indicate that this oil could be used in a wide range of applications; however, there are no studies that work on the improvement of the characteristics of this oil for commercial application. The enzymatic interesterification is one of the tools available to improve the properties of oils and fats and our recent studies have demonstrated that the lipase could specifically act on buriti oil to produce structured lipids rich in oleic acid, while preserving most of the minor compounds present in this oil. Still looking for ways to expand the applicability of this raw oil, in this work, we are interested in studying the behaviour of this structured oil in nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). Experimental approach. The NLCs were produced with interesterified buriti oil and the stability, droplet size, electrical charge, microstructure, polymorphism and antioxidant activity of the samples were evaluated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. Results and conclusions. The results showed that the interesterification formed more unsaturated triacylglycerols (TAGs), and NLCs prepared with interesterified buriti oil had smaller droplets than NLCs with crude buriti oil. Particles remained stable throughout the storage period and NLCs exhibited complex polymorphism with the presence of three crystalline forms. The ORAC value was approx. 23 % higher in nanolipid carries with structured lipids than in the nanolipid carriers with crude buriti oil, and the FRAP value 16 % higher, demonstrating the influence of interesterification on the antioxidant activity of nanocarriers. Thus, NLCs prepared with interesterified buriti oil had small droplets, high stability and antioxidant capacity, and have a potential for nutritional and biological applications. Novelty and scientific contribution. This research showed that interesterification positively influenced the physicochemical properties of NLCs, producing the oil rich in oleic acid, high stability and antioxidant capacity. Therefore, it may be interesting to use these nanocarriers to obtain efficient carrier systems for future applications.