Nanoemulsions as an effective medium for encapsulation and stabilization of cholesterol/ β ‐cyclodextrin inclusion complex

BACKGROUND Inclusion complex formation between β ‐cyclodextrin ( β ‐ CD ) and suitable guest molecules such as cholesterol (Ch) has regularly been exploited to design self‐assembled structures. In the present study an effective nanoemulsion medium (lecithin/Tween 80/ethyl oleate/water) was selected for solubilizing and stabilizing Ch and Ch/ β ‐ CD inclusion complex. Phase solubility, spectroscopic, thermodynamic, Z ‐average diameter and morphological analyses were conducted. RESULTS Phase solubility data analysis demonstrated an increase in Ch solubility at low β ‐ CD concentrations (0.01–0.35 mmol L −1 ). Transmission electron microscopy and Z ‐average diameter data indicated the spherical nature of the droplets and confirmed the formation of nanoemulsions with an average size of less than 50 nm. The negative value of Δ G obtained during analysis further indicated that the binding was spontaneous in nature. CONCLUSION Primarily, this research demonstrates the use of nanoemulsions as a medium in food matrices, instead of water, for hosting Ch in β ‐ CD . © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry