Carotenoid Substance Stabilization Model
The expansion and deepening of pharmacological research on carotenoids has led to a renewed interest in crosssectoral studies of these compounds. Microencapsulation is a promising method for stabilizing this class of compounds. In this regard, the search for an effective and rational study of the microencapsulation process is an actual scientific direction. The aim of this study was the microencapsulation of carotenoids and the construction of an appropriate theoretical model for their stabilization in IDEF0 (Integration Definition for Function Modeling) notation. The theoretical aspect of the work is a preliminary logical structuring of the carotenoid stabilization process in the IDEF0 notation. The experimental part of the study consisted in the stabilization of four natural substances of carotenoids: p-carotene, lycopene, lutein, astaxanthin. For this purpose, the microencapsulation method was applied. The preparation of microcapsules with four studied carotenoid substances was carried out in three ways: simple coacervation, extrusion without heating, and dispersion in an immiscible liquid. A comparative study of the stability of experimental series of microencapsulated substances of carotenoids and substances without inclusion in microcapsules was carried out under natural conditions: at a temperature of 25°C, in the absence of exposure to light and “storage in the light”, in dark and transparent glass vials. Analysis of microcapsules during storage was carried out by spectrophotometry. The IDEF0 notation was first used to build a model for the stabilization of substances, in particular carotenoids. The correctness of the developed model is confirmed experimentally: according to the data obtained in accordance with the proposed IDEF0 model, dispersion in an immiscible liquid is recognized as the most effective for microencapsulation of carotenoids. All four microencapsulated carotenoid substances remained stable for two years. The results obtained solve the problems of stabilization of the substances of individual carotenoids and expand the possibilities of their interindustry use, because the polyene chain, which determines the combined biological effect of carotenoids and their basic physicochemical properties, simultaneously determines their low stability due to active oxidation and isomerization during production, purification and storage. In addition, the principle of the theoretical model of carotenoid stabilization in IDEF0 notation can serve as a basis for creating models of stabilization of other compounds.