Nanoencapsulation of Gingerol Using Whey Protein Isolate for Functional Cream Cheese Enrichment

Cream cheese is a valuable dairy product rich in calcium but highly perishable. Gingerol exhibits multiple functional properties, including antioxidant and antimicrobial activities; however, its pungent taste and thermal instability limit its application in food products. To overcome these limitations, we encapsulated gingerol with WPI and incorporated it into cream cheese. Gingerol was coated at concentrations of 0.5%, 1% and 2% with different WPI concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 15%. Encapsulation Efficiency (EE), moisture content, antioxidant activity, particle size, Fourier-Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), pH and acidity, fat content, peroxide value, and Thiobarbituric Acid (TBA) tests were carried out on samples. Also, texture analyses and sensory evaluation were done on them. The EE of the samples varied from 59% to 89.53%. The lowest efficiency was observed in T1(5% WPI, 0.5% gingerol), whereas T2 (15% WPI, 2% gingerol) exhibited the highest EE. A progressive increase in gingerol and WPI concentrations reduced moisture content, decreasing from 5.97% in T1 to 5.22% in T9. The peroxide value was measured at 0.47 meq/kg in the control sample, while it decreased to 0.17 meq/kg in the encapsulated treatment T9, indicating improved oxidative stability. The results demonstrate that an increase in gingerol content inside the nanocapsules significantly enhanced antioxidant activity. The nanocapsules ranged in size from 139.1 to 224.1 nm, with a PolyDispersity Index (PDI) varying from 0.209 to 0.238. The sensory evaluation results demonstrated that cheese samples with 0.5% gingerol were much more appealing. The use of WPI as a gingerol coating may improve the beneficial properties of cream cheese throughout a 30-day storage period. The study on nanocapsules showed that gingerol concentrations of 0.5%, 1%, and 2% with 15% WPI were suitable for the cream cheese formulation, with samples being evaluated over a 30-day storage period.