Self‐assembled pea vicilin nanoparticles as nanocarriers for improving the antioxidant activity, environmental stability and sustained‐release property of curcumin

BACKGROUND The application of curcumin (Cur) in the food industry is usually limited by its low water solubility and poor stability. This study aimed to fabricate self‐assembled nanoparticles using pea vicilin (7S) through a pH‐shifting method (pH 7–pH 12–pH 7) to develop water‐soluble nanocarriers of Cur. RESULTS Intrinsic fluorescence, far‐UV circular dichroism spectra and transmission electron microscopy analysis demonstrated that the structure of 7S could be unfolded at pH 12.0 and refolded when the pH shifted to 7.0. The assembled 7S–Cur exhibited a high loading ability of 81.63 μg mg−1 for Cur and homogeneous particle distribution. Cur was encapsulated in the 7S hydrophobic nucleus in an amorphous form and combined through hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding, resulting in the static fluorescence quenching of 7S. Compared with free Cur, the retention rates of Cur in 7S–Cur were approximately 1.12 and 1.70 times higher under UV exposure at 365 nm or heating at 75 °C for 120 min, respectively, as well as 7S–Cur showing approximately 1.50 times higher antioxidant activity. During simulated gastrointestinal experiments, 7S–Cur exhibited a better sustained‐release property than free Cur. CONCLUSION The self‐assembled 7S nanocarriers prepared using a pH‐shifting method effectively improved the antioxidant activity, environmental stability and sustained‐release property of Cur. Therefore, 7S isolated from pea protein could be used as potential nanocarriers for Cur. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.