Czech J. Food Sci., X:X | DOI: 10.17221/42/2025-CJFS

Enhancing vitamin C stability through liposomal encapsulation with optimised pressure and cycle conditionsOriginal Paper

Özlem Üstün-Aytekin ORCID...
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Hamidiye Health Sciences, University of Health Sciences, İstanbul, Türkiye

Encapsulation technology offers an effective strategy to enhance the bioavailability and stability of vitamin C by addressing its sensitivity to environmental factors. This study investigates the impact of formulation parameters, particularly lecithin concentration and high-pressure processing conditions, on the physicochemical properties, gastrointestinal stability, cytotoxicity, and shelf life of liposomal vitamin C formulations. Among the tested samples, Sample 1, prepared with 20% soybean lecithin and 20% ascorbic acid and processed at 400 bar with a single cycle, demonstrated superior performance. It exhibited a high zeta potential (−23.17 mV), uniform size distribution (317.5 ± 8.863 nm) and encapsulation efficiency of 77.6%, along with 85% vitamin C retention under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Cellular uptake in Caco-2 cells reached 30%, and structural integrity was preserved for 240 days at 40 °C, indicating strong thermal stability. The results underscore that lecithin concentration had the most significant influence on encapsulation efficiency and liposome stability, compared to pressure intensity or the number of processing cycles. Furthermore, modulating the zeta potential through lipid composition and the energy applied to phospholipid solutions was found to be critical for improving bioavailability and ensuring long-term dispersion stability. In conclusion, the optimised liposomal formulation offers a promising vehicle for advanced vitamin C delivery with enhanced protection, bioaccessibility, and storage potential.

Keywords: hospholipid-based delivery systems; high-pressure processing; stability; size; encapsulation efficiency

Received: March 14, 2025; Revised: August 18, 2025; Accepted: August 29, 2025; Prepublished online: December 16, 2025 

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