Paper Title
PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES, ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY AND BIOAVAILABILITY OF WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTARTE-BASED COENZYME Q10 NANOPARTICLES

Abstract
Coenzyme Q10 is a powerful antioxidant. However, the poor water solubility and low bioavailability are still faced challenges for its application. Whey protein encapsulated CoQ10 delivery systems using whey protein concentrate (WPC) or polymerized whey protein concentrate (PWPC) were prepared, and the physicochemical properties, antioxidant capacity and bioavailability were analyzed in this study. Both whey protein-CoQ10 nanoparticles showed particle size distribution from 241 to 331 nm in the protein-to-CoQ10 mass ratio range of 100:1 to 20:1. And the minimum polydispersity index value was observed at the mass ratio of 20:1. Differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectra analysis revealed that CoQ10 was successfully dispersed in WPC and PWPC particles through hydrophobic interactions in addition to the hydrogen bonding in WPC group. All nanoparticles exhibited irregular spherical or aggregate structure in the transmission electron microscopy diagram. PWPC-based nanoparticles showed a slightly higher antioxidant capacity than that of WPC, and both values were significantly higher than that of its corresponding physical mixture and free CoQ10 (p < 0.05). The results of simulated gastrointestinal digestion experiments showed that both preparations could protect CoQ10 from gastric digestion and then delivery to the intestine. Compared with its free state, the bioavailability of CoQ10 embedded in WPC and PWPC increased by nearly 7.58 times and 7.48 times, respectively. Data indicated that both WPC and PWPC could be an effective delivery carrier to enhance the bioavailability of CoQ10. Keywords - Coenzyme Q10, Whey Protein Concentrate, Bioavailability, Antioxidant Capacity, Physicochemical Properties.