Synthesis and Characterisation of Water‐Soluble β‐Carotene–Xylan Complexes

β‐Carotene is a useful compound for food fortification because it has beneficial effects on human health. However, it is insoluble in water and sensitive to light, oxygen and temperature. To increase the solubility and stability of β‐carotene, its complexation with polysaccharides is used. The study aimed to develop and optimise a new method for β‐carotene–xylan (CAR–XYL) complex fabrication. The physical and chemical properties of the resulting complexes were investigated. The β‐carotene:xylan ratios of 1:3 (w/w) and 1:5 (w/w) were concluded to be the most applicable to β‐carotene formulation. The solubility of the complexes was 36.8 and 38.3 mg/mL, respectively. The particles were small in size. Their hydrodynamic diameters were 300.4 ± 10.4 nm and 242.2 ± 2.6 nm, respectively. The thermal stability of the complexes at different temperatures for 30 min was not significantly affected by the β‐carotene:xylan ratio. However, the shelf life of β‐carotene under UV irradiation and long‐term storage under different conditions showed a tendency to decrease in β‐carotene:xylan ratios of 1:10 (w/w) and 1:20 (w/w). β‐Carotene complexed with xylan did not lose its antioxidant activity. Furthermore, for the use of the β‐carotene–xylan complexes in functional foods, the bioaccessibility of β‐carotene complexed with xylan was studied using the INFOGEST protocol. For CAR–XYL complexes fabricated at CAR:XYL ratios of 1:3 and 1:5, bioaccessibility was 54.3 ± 5.6% and 59.03 ± 3.3%, respectively.