Encapsulating hydrophobic antioxidants and carotenoids using yeast cells for beverage applications

Overview

This solution uses Yarrowia lipolytica yeast cells to encapsulate multiple carotenoids and hydrophobic antioxidants for beverage applications. Carotenoids offer natural pigment and antioxidant health benefits, but their hydrophobicity and sensitivity to oxidation, light, heat, and low pH have limited their use in beverages. By encapsulating these compounds within a bland-flavored, neutrally colored, FDA GRAS-status yeast, the technology addresses key stability and dispersibility challenges facing beverage formulators.

Technical specifications

Encapsulation approach:

• Y. lipolytica yeast cells accumulate multiple carotenoids dissolved in edible oil
• Accumulation efficiency is influenced by yeast strain, lipid composition, and antioxidant type in the medium
• Encapsulated carotenoids in dried yeast cells are stable against light, thermal, oxidative, and pH stressors
• Dried yeast cells can be dispersed directly into beverages

Key advantages:

• Y. lipolytica is highly tolerant to low pH, bland flavored, and neutrally colored, making it suitable for beverage matrices
• Cell-based encapsulation retained 93% of antioxidants after one hour of heat treatment, compared to 74% without encapsulation
• Performance is approximately 50% better than synthetic encapsulation carriers
• Previous studies showed accumulation yields up to 40-fold higher through culture condition and medium optimization

Validation methods:

• Comparison of carotenoid uptake across up to 20 Y. lipolytica strains from the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection at UC Davis
• Quantification of carotenoid accumulation by HPLC
• Thermal, oxidative, and pH stability assessment using published methods

Technology readiness level

The approach has been validated in prior studies demonstrating successful encapsulation of synthetic ß-carotene in soybean oil and simultaneous encapsulation of multiple bioactive compounds from fruit extracts in cell-based carriers. The proposed study will be conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of California at Davis to evaluate multiple yeast strains and carotenoid combinations, with stability testing across thermal, oxidative, and pH conditions. The technology is positioned for advancement toward beverage application readiness through this collaborative validation effort.