Nanoliposomal encapsulation mediated enhancement of betalain stability: Characterisation, storage stability and antioxidant activity of Basella rubra L. fruits for its applications in vegan gummy candies

Betalains are violet-red, natural food grade pigments with health benefits; however, their stability limits its use in industrial food processing. This can be overcome by placing the betalains in lecithin nanoliposomes (NLs), which causes a 76% improvement of betalain colour and stability. Extended sonication time (8 min) lowered the zeta potential (-47.5 to -40.8), and particle size (74.23 to 55.35 nm). Zeta potential, particle size, and polydispersity index of Betalain NLs (BNLs) didn't change significantly during storage (40 days). Degradation in the colour of BNLs was observed only at 121 °C (20 min) while the native juice degraded at 100 °C (20 min). BNLs were incorporated in gummy candies (GuCa) to improve its colour stability. The betalain retention, colour, texture, antioxidant activity, and shelf-life of the GuCa during storage (5 °C, 28 days) demonstrated the efficacy of BNLs to be explored as a natural colourant for the food industry.

Keywords: Basella rubra; Betalains; Gummy candies; Nanoliposomes; Zeta potentials.