Formation and functional attributes of electrostatic complexes involving casein and anionic polysaccharides: An approach to enhance oral absorption of lycopene in rats in vivo

•Microencapsulation of lycopene was carried out by coacervation method.•Casein and Gum tragacanth was used as coating material.•The microencapsules fabricated at 1:2 of Gt:Cas were also revealed the highest loading capacity and maximum coacervates yield.•Cumulative lycopene release was estimated 86.34±2.69% from microencapsulated formulations at the end of 24th h.•The stability of lycopene in that formulation in term of % residual content were studied for three months. The current work entails a novel strategy of formulating the microparticles of lycopene solely using rational blends of biopolymers without using equipment-intensive techniques. The study is intended to enhance oral bioavailability of lycopene by controlling its release from micro-formulation and facilitating its absorption though lymphatic pathways. Considering the minimum particle size, maximum entrapment efficiency and loading capacity, the amounts of casein (i.e., protein) and gum tragacanth (i.e., polysaccharide) were selected as the critical factors for formulation of microparticles. Complex formation and electrostatic interaction was confirmed by Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) spectra. Size and surface properties of microparticles were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The optimized formulation (mean particle size: ∼130μm; % entrapment efficiency: ∼67% and loading capacity: ∼71%) designated noticeable improvement in lycopene release profile (over 80% in 24h). Increment in the values of Cmax (2.22-fold) and AUC (1.97-fold) further indicated noteworthy augmentation in the rate and extent of bioavailability by the microparticles formulation compared to plain lycopene. The resulting formulation was found to be quite stable all through two months of study episode. The resultant microparticles formulation was evaluated for antioxidant activity and tested for their effectiveness in self life enhancement of vegetable oil by calculating peroxide value under temperature and storage condition. Encapsulation strongly increased the stability of micronutrients. The current investigations, therefore, report the successful development of biopolymeric microparticles with improved bioavailability potential of lycopene.