Production and characterization of alginate-starch-chitosan microparticles containing stigmasterol through the external ionic gelation technique

• Main Authors: Gislene Mari Fujiwara (Author), Ranieri Campos (Author), Camila Klocker Costa (Author), Josiane de Fátima Gaspari Dias (Author), Obdulio Gomes Miguel (Author), Marilis Dallarmi Miguel (Author), Francisco de Assis Marques (Author), Sandra Maria Warumby Zanin (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo, 2013-09-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Stigmasterol - a plant sterol with several pharmacological activities - is susceptible to oxidation when exposed to air, a process enhanced by heat and humidity. In this context, microencapsulation is a way of preventing oxidation, allowing stigmasterol to be incorporated into various pharmaceutical forms while increasing its absorption. Microparticles were obtained using a blend of polymers of sodium alginate, starch and chitosan as the coating material through a one-stage process using the external gelation technique. Resultant microparticles were spherical, averaging 1.4 mm in size. Encapsulation efficiency was 90.42% and method yield 94.87%. The amount of stigmasterol in the oil recovered from microparticles was 9.97 mg/g. This technique proved feasible for the microencapsulation of stigmasterol.

Item Description

2175-9790
10.1590/S1984-82502013000300015