Abstract In this study, cold-gelation whey protein isolate (WPI)-chitosan (CS) complex hydrogels were fabricated by crosslinking with genipin (GP), which was a naturally occurring crosslinking agent. The effect of variable CS concentrations on the structure and physical/chemical properties of the complex hydrogels was probed. Curcumin release rates from WPI-CS complex hydrogels were lower in simulated gastric and colon solution. DSC results indicated that the WPI-CS complex hydrogel showed higher stability (endothermic peak at 93.7 °C) than that of WPI (endothermic peak at 80.3 °C). These results demonstrated that cold-gelation WPI-CS complex hydrogel could be a new material to encapsulate and deliver bioactive substance or drugs, with potential applications in functional foods and drugs.

中文翻译：

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用于姜黄素控释的冷凝胶乳清蛋白-壳聚糖复合水凝胶的制备和表征

摘要 在本研究中，通过与天然交联剂京尼平 (GP) 交联制备冷凝胶化乳清分离蛋白 (WPI)-壳聚糖 (CS) 复合水凝胶。探讨了不同的 CS 浓度对复杂水凝胶的结构和物理/化学性质的影响。在模拟胃和结肠溶液中，WPI-CS 复合水凝胶的姜黄素释放率较低。DSC结果表明，WPI-CS复合水凝胶表现出比WPI（吸热峰在80.3°C）更高的稳定性（吸热峰在93.7°C）。这些结果表明，冷凝胶化 WPI-CS 复合水凝胶可能是一种封装和递送生物活性物质或药物的新材料，在功能性食品和药物中具有潜在应用。