Regulation of a blend of hydrogenated palm oil and soybean oil on the photostability and digestive properties of VB12 W/O/W microcapsules and its application in gummy candy systems

Vitamin B 12 (VB 12 ) is photolabile and exhibits low oral bioavailability. Its instability in the gastrointestinal tract, along with limited intrinsic-factor-mediated absorption, restricts its application in functional foods. To address these limitations, we proposed a novel strategy that utilized hydrogenated palm oil (HPO) and soybean oil (SBO) lipid blends (HPO/SBO) to improve the photostability and tailor digestive release of VB 12 encapsulated in freeze-dried W/O/W microcapsules. Adjusting the blend ratio modulates the crystallinity and packing density of the lipid matrix, thereby controlling the photostability and digestion behavior of encapsulated VB 12 . The formulation was subsequently applied to the gummy candies. Results indicated that increasing HPO proportion to 60% promoted a denser microcapsule network and reduced water activity, consequently improving VB 12 light retention from 26% to approximately 60%. Notably, this formulation ratio yielded favorable low gastric release (<50%) and efficient intestinal release (nearly 100%), resolving the typical trade-off between gastric protection and intestinal release. When incorporated into gummy candies, this formulation also demonstrated superior light protection and release balance with good system adaptability. Overall, HPO/SBO (60:40) serves as an effective structuring agent to stabilize VB 12 and tune its release through crystalline network regulation. This strategy holds great potential for designing high-performance VB 12 -fortified foods.