Influence of carboxymethyl chitosan-modified pea protein isolate for the delivery of kaempferol: preparation, antioxidant activity and release characterization

Shuangling Zhang; Heping Liu; Nan Sun; Peng Liu; Liangtao Lv; Dehong Du; Cheng Zhang; Guanyu Zhao; Xiaohui Wang; Junpeng Li

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145508

Influence of carboxymethyl chitosan-modified pea protein isolate for the delivery of kaempferol: preparation, antioxidant activity and release characterization

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jun 24:145508. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145508. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Food Science and Engineering College, Qingdao Agricultural University, No. 700, Changcheng Road, Qingdao 266109, China; Bathurst Future Agri-Tech Institute, Qingdao Agricultural University, No. 700, Changcheng Road, Qingdao 266109, China. Electronic address: zhshuangalicia@hotmail.com.
² Food Science and Engineering College, Qingdao Agricultural University, No. 700, Changcheng Road, Qingdao 266109, China.
³ Yantai Marine Economic Research Institute, Yantai, Shandong 264000, Yantai, China.

PMID: 40571009
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145508

Abstract

This study employs pH-driven assembly technology to construct nanocarriers using carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC)-modified pea protein isolate (PPI) for the delivery of kaempferol (K), the critical role of CMC was systematically investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful formation of CMC-PPI-K nanoparticles (241 nm) at pH 12.0 with a CMC-to-PPI ratio of 1:1 (v/v), originating hydrogen bonding between the amino groups of PPI and the hydroxyl groups of CMC, the disappearance of K's characteristic peaks in CMC-PPI-K indicated effective encapsulation, with an encapsulation efficiency of 88.5 % and a loading efficiency of 4.33 % obtained. X-ray diffraction further demonstrated K was successfully encapsulated by amorphous CMC-PPI, while thermogravimetric analysis revealed enhanced thermal stability of CMC-PPI-K (250 °C). CMC' incorporation reduced surface hydrophobicity and enhanced antioxidant capacity. In vitro digestion experiments further demonstrated CMC-PPI-K exhibited superior controlled release properties compared to PPI-K. These findings demonstrate the potential of CMC-modified protein to encapsulate, protect, and deliver hydrophobic nutraceuticals.

Keywords: Carboxymethyl chitosan; Kaempferol; Pea isolate protein; pH-driven.