Formulation of Lipoprotein Microencapsulated Beadlets by Ionic Complexes in Algae-Based Carbohydrates

The present study aims to produce sustained-release algae-based carbohydrate microbeadlets of lipoproteins rich-in carotenoids extracted from organic sea buckthorn fruits. β-carotene represented the major compound of the lipoproteins extracts. Emulsification and algae-based carbohydrates, such as sodium-alginate and kappa-carrageenan, provide an inert environment, allowing the embedded targeted bioactive compounds—lipoproteins rich in carotenoids in our case—to maintain greater biological activity and to have a better shelf life. Furthermore, the microbeadlets prepared from sodium-alginate–kappa-carrageenan (0.75%:0.75% w/v) crosslinked with calcium ions showing 90% encapsulation efficiency have been utilized in HPMC capsules using beadlets-in-a-capsule technology, to use as a delivery system for the finished product. The GI simulated tests performed under laboratory conditions suggested that the sodium-alginate–kappa–carrageenan combination could be useful for the formulation-controlled release of microbeadlets containing lipoproteins rich in carotenoids.