Abstract
This work aimed to carry out a preliminary study on the release of bioactive compounds loaded into starch-based hydrogels produced by high-pressure processing (HPP). As a study case, the experiments were carried out on rice starch HPP hydrogels. Rice starch (20% w/w) and green tea extract (2% w/w), suspended in distilled water, were treated by HPP at processing conditions enabling starch gelatinisation, namely 600 MPa for 15 min at room temperature. Additional experiments were carried out on samples that were further loaded with glycerol (5% w/w). Gel formation was assessed by analysing the gelatinisation extent, structuring level, and swelling power of the samples. At the processing conditions utilised, stable hydrogels were obtained even in the presence of the extract and/or the glycerol in the starch suspension. As expected, the colour of the hydrogels formed was affected by the addition of green tea extract in the starch solution. HPP starch hydrogels were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to determine the interactions between the different compounds utilised in the formulation. Moreover, the release kinetics of bioactive compounds from HPP rice starch hydrogels was evaluated using a vertical Franz diffusion cells system, simulating a transdermal pattern. The diffusion of bioactive compounds was measured spectrophotometrically and via HPLC analysis. A controlled release of bioactive compounds from the hydrogel structure was detected, suggesting that small molecules, such as polyphenols, positively interacted with the rice starch HPP hydrogel network that allowed a smooth and constant release of these bioactive compounds over time.