Structural analysis of polyglycerol fatty acid ester-coenzyme Q10 aggregates in solution.

Polyglycerol fatty acid esters (PGFEs) are common food additives. PGFE-based formulations exhibit high structural stability, however, the stability mechanism of the micellar structures has not been yet elucidated. In this study, nanostructural analysis was performed using small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS) measurements to reveal the mechanism of the structural stability of PGFE-coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) mixtures as a CoQ10 formulation. Pure PGFE formed multilamellar vesicles, whereas PGFE-CoQ10 formed spherical micelles. Furthermore, when the amount of added water increased, the PGFE-CoQ10 micellar size and the amount of water in the micelles remained unchanged. A model-fitting analysis of the SANS results suggested that the CoQ10 molecules were introduced between the surfactants, forming a palisade-type structure. The high structural stability of the PGFE-CoQ10 micelles was attributed to two factors: proper spreading of the hydrophilic head chains and inhibition of the change of the amount of water inside the micelles by the PGFE heads and quinone ring of CoQ10. This indicates that PGFE-CoQ10 can function in water while maintaining the micellar structure formed in the storage solution. The findings of this study are important for the safety and nano-hazard aspects of PGFE-CoQ10 formulations.

Structure of the Microemulsion of Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate Encapsulating Vitamin E.

The structures of micelles and microemulsions consisting of polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) were investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and rheological measurements. The SAXS results show that amphiphilic PGPR molecules form stable micelles in glycerol. When vitamin E is added to the PGPR micelles, it is encapsulated in the micelles and forms an emulsion. These micelles are stable towards mechanical shearing up to a shear rate of 1000 s-1, with shear thinning occurring in the emulsion above 100 s-1, indicating that the emulsion may undergo break up by shearing, but recovers the structure by releasing shear strain.