Co-encapsulation of rutinoside and β-carotene in liposomes modified by rhamnolipid: Antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, storage stability, and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

The surfactant rhamnolipid (RL) was used to modify the liposomes. β-carotene (βC) and rutinoside (Rts) were utilized to generate co-encapsulated liposomes through an ethanol injection method that used both hydrophilic and hydrophobic cavities to fabricate a novel cholesterol-free composite delivery system. The RL complex-liposomes loaded with βC and Rts (RL–βC–Rts) showed higher loading efficiency and good physicochemical properties (size = 167.48 nm, zeta-potential = −5.71 mV, and polydispersity index = 0.23). Compared with other samples, the RL–βC–Rts showed better antioxidant activities and antibacterial ability. Moreover, dependable stability was uncovered in RL–βC–Rts with still 85.2% of βC storage from nanoliposome after 30 days at 4°C. Furthermore, in simulated gastrointestinal digestion, βC exhibited good release kinetic properties. The present study demonstrated that liposomes constructed from RLs offer a promising avenue for the design of multicomponent nutrient delivery systems using both hydrophilic.