The effect of naringenin-phospholipid complex on thermal oxidative stability of soybean oil under heating condition

[Display omitted] •A highly efficient and innovative methodology was developed for the preparation of a naringenin-phospholipid complex, exhibiting remarkable effect in inhibiting the thermal oxidation of soybean oil.•Through the fabrication of phospholipid complex, the solubility of naringenin in soybean oil was significantly improved 2730-fold compared to free naringenin without impairing its antioxidant activity.•The novel perspective provided a practical and promising strategy for poorly oil-soluble flavanones with strong antioxidant activities to improve the stability of frying oils. Naringenin (NGE), a typical flavanone abundant in citrus fruits, exhibits remarkable antioxidant activities. However, its low solubility in oil restricts its widespread use in inhibiting lipid oxidation. In this study, we present a novel and effective approach to address this limitation by developing a naringenin-phospholipid complex (NGE-PC COM). Comprehensive analytical techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to confirm the formation of the NGE-PC COM and elucidate the interaction mechanism between NGE and phospholipids molecules. Notably, the oil-solubility of NGE was significantly enhanced by approximately 2700-fold when formulated as a phospholipid complex in soybean oil. The improved oil-solubility of NGE-PC COM enabled effective inhibition of oil thermal oxidation under high temperature conditions. Generally, this investigation proposed a novel and promising strategy for employing flavanones with strong antioxidant activities to enhance the thermal oxidative stability of edible oil during heating processes.