Stability regulation and co-pigmentation effects of black wolfberry anthocyanin-loaded core–shell nanocapsules under simulated food matrix conditions

The synergistic use of carrier encapsulation and co-pigmentation to stabilize anthocyanins in food matrices remains challenging. Here, we propose a design-to-application strategy to improve the effectiveness of stabilization approaches for black wolfberry anthocyanins. After evaluating the feasibility of the carrier system using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we fabricated black wolfberry anthocyanin-loaded core–shell nanocapsules (ACN@PC–CS–BSA). In both the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays, ACN@PC–CS–BSA showed enhanced radical-scavenging capacity. Regarding stability, ACN@PC–CS–BSA significantly improved anthocyanin retention under stress conditions, including ultraviolet irradiation and thermal treatment. Notably, after 150 days of long-term storage, ACN@PC–CS–BSA retained 56.0% of the anthocyanins, which was 40.9% higher than that of free anthocyanins. Subsequently, the co-pigmentation effects between ACN@PC–CS–BSA and six phenolic compounds in a model wine matrix were evaluated using spectroscopic analysis and thermodynamic calculations. Among the compounds tested, gallic acid exhibited the strongest co-pigmentation effect. This work provides a transferable and comprehensive reference for constructing anthocyanin encapsulation systems and evaluating their synergistic stabilization under simulated food-processing conditions.