Understanding the bioactive partitioning between the phases of an emulsion system underpins strategies for improving the efficiency of bioactive protection against degradation. We analysed partitioning of β-carotene in emulsions with various formulations in-situ using confocal Raman microscopy (CRM). The partitioning of β-carotene into the aqueous phase of emulsions increased when whey protein isolate (WPI) was heat or high pressure-treated prior to emulsion formation. However, increasing the concentration of high pressure-treated WPI reduced the β-carotene partitioning into the aqueous phase. Increasing the solid fat content in the carrier oil favoured the migration of β-carotene into the aqueous phase. The use of WPI as the emulsifier resulted in a greater partitioning of β-carotene into the aqueous phase compared to when Tween 40 was the emulsifier. This study demonstrates that partitioning of β-carotene between the aqueous and oil phase is dependent on the characteristics of the oil phase, emulsifier type and processing.

了解乳液体系各相之间的生物活性分配，为提高生物活性防止降解效率的策略奠定了基础。我们分析了各种配方中乳液中β-胡萝卜素的分配使用共聚焦拉曼显微镜（CRM）。当在乳液形成之前对乳清蛋白分离物（WPI）进行加热或高压处理时，β-胡萝卜素在乳液水相中的分配增加。但是，增加高压处理的WPI的浓度会降低β-胡萝卜素分配到水相中的能力。载体油中固体脂肪含量的增加有利于β-胡萝卜素向水相的迁移。与Tween 40为乳化剂时相比，使用WPI作为乳化剂可导致β-胡萝卜素在水相中的分配更大。这项研究表明，β-胡萝卜素在水相和油相之间的分配取决于油相的特性，乳化剂的类型和加工过程。