DEVELOPMENT OF LIPID NANOPARTICLES CONTAINING Passiflora edulis SEED OIL FOR FOOD USE

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) is a fruit that has several nutritional properties, due to its high content of bioactive compounds, vitamins, and minerals. However, its processing generates tons of waste, composed of albedos, peels and seeds. Most seeds are discarded, despite being rich in unsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, carotenoids, substances that have potential promise for maintaining and promoting health. Despite these potentialities, bioactive compounds have low solubility in water, low oxidation stability throughout their shelf life, which can reduce bioavailability. To overcome these limitations, nanotechnology has been used, encapsulating bioactive compounds in nanocarriers, and applying them in various areas. The objective of this work was to develop, improve and characterize nanostructured lipid carriers containing passion fruit seed oil (CLN-PFSO) through experimental design. The obtention of CLN-PFSO was satisfactory and the average diameter was 126 ± 1.5 nm, polydispersity index of 0.19 ± 0.002, with a low value of zeta potential of -43.5 ± 1.9, resulting in a homogeneous and stable system, also presented low water activity, ensuring greater stability. In summary, CLN-PFSO is a potential nanocarrier with essential compounds to be applied in food and beverages, and can also be included in biodegradable packaging, due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These properties can contribute to increasing the useful life of products and, at the same time, the health of their consumers.