Structural characterization of amylose-long chain fatty acid complexes produced via the acidification method

Amylose molecular inclusion complexes, or V-amylose, have been studied as a possible nano-sized delivery system for unsaturated fatty acids. This study aimed to study three different structural levels of V-amylose produced via an acidification method. Molecular attributes were studied using XRD, DSC and 13C CP/MAS NMR, nanostructures using SAXS and AFM, and the microscopic level by SEM and AFM. 13C labeled fatty acids revealed head groups were entrapped in both COO- and COOH forms. SAXS data, showed that conjugated linoleic acid yield particles with the highest values for parameters like average crystalline lamellar thickness (φ = 0.46) and characteristic particle dimension (Rg = 1011). AFM revealed surface roughness increases from 7.72 ± 4.34 nm to 11.54 ± 6.05 nm during the formation of V-amylose. The insights described contribute to the understanding of V-amylose structure and help establish a model for V-amylose structure which may prospectively be used in the fabrication of a novel delivery system.