Increasing the Efficiency of Taxifolin Encapsulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeast Cells Based on Ultrasonic Microstructuring

The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility of encapsulating the plant antioxidant taxifolin in the living cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Taxifolin is an unstable substance prone to oxidative degradation and actively enters into chemical reactions with a decrease or loss of bioactive properties. To minimize these problems, the use of encapsulation technology has been proposed. The cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been chosen as a protective material for taxifolin. The encapsulation process was carried out using simple diffusion methods in living Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells in a thermostatically controlled shaker for 24 h. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of preliminary microstructuring of taxifolin on the efficiency of its encapsulation in yeast cells. The microstructuring process was carried out using low-frequency ultrasonic cavitation exposure for 7 min with a frequency of 22 ± 1.6 kHz and a power of 600 W/100 mL. The studies confirmed the feasibility of the proposed approach. It was found that microstructuring changes the dispersed composition of taxifolin particles and their morphology in solution and also increases the value of the antioxidant activity. Preliminary microstructuring of taxifolin increases the efficiency of its encapsulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells by 1.42 times compared to the initial form. A positive dependence of the growth of the encapsulation efficiency on the duration of the process was also established. Thus, the conducted studies confirmed the advantage of encapsulation of taxifolin in living cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in microstructured form.