Bacterial S-Layer Proteins for Stabilization of Food Ingredients Encapsulated in Liposomes

Abstract

To protect food ingredients from degradation that can occur in the harsh environmental conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, many different oral delivery systems such as liposomes have been developed. However, liposomes are dynamic entities which tend to aggregate and/or fuse, and thus some strategies can be used to improve their features. In this sense, bacterial S-layer proteins (SLPs) can reassemble as a rigid nanostructured lattice covering different surfaces completely, and they have been used to stabilize liposomes. In this chapter, we will describe the experimental protocols to prepare and characterize SLP-coated multilamellar lipid vesicles which can be applied to the encapsulation of food ingredients.