Fabrication and characterization of zein-alginate oligosaccharide complex nanoparticles as delivery vehicles of curcumin

•Alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) was used to stabilize zein nanoparticles.•Zein-AOS nanoparticles were relatively stable under different pH and temperatures.•The encapsulation efficiency of zein-AOS nanoparticles was fairly good. In this study, zein was stabilized using alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) for the delivery of curcumin (Cur) through antisolvent precipitation. Zein-AOS2:1 nanoparticles were uniform and stable (size 116.5 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) 0.16, charge −30 mV). The complex nanoparticle system was relatively stable under different conditions, including pH 4–9 and temperature 30–90 °C. In addition, the encapsulation efficiency of the Cur/zein-AOS2:1 complex nanoparticles was 89.7%. Zein was protected during gastrointestinal digestion. Only 32.9% Cur was released in the stomach after 90 min and 83.8% was released in the intestinal tract after 240 min proving that zein-AOS complex nanoparticles showed a good sustained-release effect. Thus, the zein-AOS complex nanoparticle system is suitable for delivering encapsulated lipophilic bioactive compounds.