Characterization of oat beta-glucan and coenzyme Q10-loaded beta-glucan powders generated by the pressurized gas-expanded liquid (PGX) technology.

The physicochemical properties of the oat beta-glucan powder (BG) and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)-loaded BG powder (L-BG) produced by the pressurized gas-expanded liquid (PGX) technology were studied. Helium ion microscope, differential scanning calorimeter, X-ray diffractometer, AutoSorb iQ and rheometer were used to determine the particle morphology, thermal properties, crystallinity, surface area and viscosity, respectively. Both BG (7.7μm) and L-BG (6.1μm) were produced as micrometer-scale particles, while CoQ10 nanoparticles (92nm) were adsorbed on the porous structure of L-BG. CoQ10 was successfully loaded onto BG using the PGX process via adsorptive precipitation mainly in its amorphous form. Viscosity of BG and L-BG solutions (0.15%, 0.2%, 0.3% w/v) displayed Newtonian behavior with increasing shear rate but decreased with temperature. Detailed characterization of the physicochemical properties of combination ingredients like L-BG will lead to the development of novel functional food and natural health product applications.