08/01/2019
Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound with anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-cancer properties. However, these benefits of curcumin suffer from its extremely low water solubility and bioavailability. In this study, we demonstrated that hydrophobically modified starch (HMS), a food-grade biopolymer, is able to form micelles and to encapsulate curcumin. Upon encapsulation, curcumin showed increased solubility by about 1670-folds. This may be due to the hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding between curcumin and HMS, as …