Comparison of the Loading of Lactoferrin Extracted from Camel Milk on Pectin and Chitosan Nanoparticles

Lactoferrin is a bioactive ingredient that is sensitive to environmental stresses and needs the use of microencapsulation, notwithstanding all the biological activities and effects it exerts. Pectin is a polysaccharide that acts as an anion for ion–ion interactions. Chitosan is a biodegradable and nontoxic material. In this study, lactoferrin was extracted and purified, pectin and chitosan nanoparticles were prepared, and finally, the lactoferrin was microencapsulated in the nanoparticles. After determining the final loading efficiencies of the lactoferrin, SEM and subsequent zeta potential and particle size measurements confirmed the lactoferrin loading onto the pectin and chitosan nanoparticles. The findings confirmed the presence of lactoferrin in the 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, and 0.8 M (mol·L−1) NaCl fractions through an SDS-PAGE and tetramethylbenzidine test. The loadings indicated that lactoferrin was indeed loaded, with the final loading efficiencies for pectin and chitosan being 84% and 81.5%, respectively. SEM confirmed the loading and showed that the emulsion structures present at the time of production and attachment were very uniform, with a consistent distribution of spherical particles. The average size of lactoferrin-loaded pectin nanoparticles was 276.3 nm, with a surface charge of –35 mV. Loading of lactoferrin onto the polysaccharides pectin and chitosan resulted in a shift toward more negative zeta potential values.