Dual network construction strategy of starch and calcium alginate to prepare tapioca pearls with efficiently embedded gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Abstract

The supplementation of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) through food matrices such as tapioca pearls has gained consumer acceptance due to better palatability and digestive release. However, GABA can leak from the pearls during the cooking process. This study proposes a simple and cost-effective one-pot method where sodium alginate and calcium lactate are directly added to the tapioca starch matrix to form dual networks, reducing the cooking leakage rate from 36.27 % to 15.52 %. Furthermore, this method extends the sustained release time of GABA in the digestive tract. The microstructural analysis indicates that during the cooking process, sodium alginate and calcium lactate interact to form a calcium alginate gel network, which effectively fills the voids within the starch gel matrix, thereby reducing the leakage of small GABA molecules. This study also examined the effects of calcium alginate networks on starch matrix and the interactions between these two networks. The starch‑calcium alginate dual network reduced GABA leakage during the cooking process in tapioca pearls, while improving its sustained release during digestion. The present work provides a new approach to improving encapsulation and digestive release of small molecules and water-soluble nutrients.