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Lutein, a lipid soluble, oxygenated carotenoid, has shown beneficial effects against the risk factors associated with age-related macular degeneration, cardiovascular disease and also damaging UV radiation. The goal of the present study was to formulate lutein into a stable hydrophilic nanoemulsion that is more bioavailable and consumable in a matrix such as a beverage rather than just supplements. A Microfluidizer® Processor was used to convert an oil-in-water lutein emulsion into a nanoemulsion that is a stable water dispersion and measures 150 nm. After a one wk baseline phase, subjects consumed a lutein supplement pill followed by a lutein nanoemulsion added to orange juice (6 mg/d and 2 mg/d in two separate studies) for one wk each with a 2 wk washout phase between treatments. In study 1, mean serum lutein concentrations (n = 9) increased by 104% (P < 0.001) and 167% (P < 0.001) after the 6 mg supplement and nanoemulsion phases, respectively. In study 2, mean serum lutein concentrations (n = 11) increased by 37% (P < 0.05) and 75% (P < 0.001) after the 2 mg lutein supplement and nanoemulsion phases, respectively Despite the fact that the actual concentration of lutein in the 6 mg and 2 mg nanoemulsions was 10% and 40% lower compared to the supplement form, respectively, due to Microfluidizer ® processor preparation loss, the nanoemulsions resulted in 31% (P < 0.05) and 28% (P < 0.05) greater serum lutein concentrations compared to the supplement.. In conclusion, nanoemulsions of lutein had significantly greater bioavailability than the supplement-pill forms.
The authors thank the graduate students and staff at the Center for Health and Disease Research at UMass, Lowell who volunteered to participate in the study; Donna Rogers and Beth Halaby, UMass Lowell for performing the blood draws; Rosanna Brackett for coordinating with study volunteers and entering diet records; Candice Gendron for entering diet data; Elizabeth F. Goodrow-Kotyla for assistance in conducting the study; Maureen Faul for administrative assistance and Microfluidics Corp., Newton, MA.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.