Lycopene-Loaded Emulsions: Chitosan Versus Non-Ionic Surfactants as Stabilizers

Lycopene is a natural carotenoid with well-known benefits due to its antioxidant properties, including an anti-inflammatory effect in colorectal cancer and anti-angiogenic effects along with a reduction in the risk of prostate cancer and coronary heart disease. Due to their poor water solubility, photosensitivity and heat sensitivity, their incorporation in cosmetic and food matrices should be through encapsulation systems. In the present work, lycopene-loaded emulsions were prepared using two different types of stabilizers: non-ionic surfactants, testing several ratios of Tween 80 and Span 80, and chitosan, using chitosans of different viscosities and molecular weights. Soybean oil was found to be a suitable candidate for O/W emulsion preparation. Lycopene encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 70-75% and loading capacities of 0.14 mg/g were registered in stable emulsions stabilized either by non-ionic surfactants or acidified chitosans. Therefore, chitosan is a good alternative as a sustainable stabilizer to partially replace traditional synthetic ingredients with a new biodegradable, renewable and biocompatible material which could contribute to reduce the environmental impact as well as the ingestion of synthetic toxic materials by humans, decreasing their risk of suffering from chronic and complex pathologies, among which several types of cancer stand out.