Abstract

Curcumin is the hydrophobic yellow pigment in turmeric with considerable health-promoting effects. However, its low water solubility and stability limit its application. In the current study, curcumin within Persian gum (PG) nanoparticles at 0.5, 1, and 1.5 PG concentrations were encapsulated. The size of the nanoparticles was in the range of 326.0-397.4 nm. Based on the TEM images of curcumin-loaded nanoparticles, all samples had a spherical shape and existed in a particular form without aggregation. Encapsulation efficiency was in the range of 86.0-94.0. Increasing PG concentration enhanced the encapsulation efficiency of curcumin. PG nanoparticles provided good protection on curcumin against light, hydrogen peroxide, and acidic pH. The lowest stability was related to free curcumin, and the highest was related to PG nanoparticles at 1.5 concentration. Curcumin-loaded nanoparticles at 1.5 concentration were added to kefir at 1, 2, and 3 concentrations. No significant differences were observed between acidity, pH, apparent viscosity, and consistency index of fortified and unfortified kefir samples. All kefir samples showed non-Newtonian behavior. Feeding rats with fortified kefir samples caused a lower level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG) compared to feeding with a standard diet.