HPMC-guar gum microcapsules for delivering mannose and curcumin
What it found
In lab tests, new microcapsules made from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and guar gum released mannose and curcumin mainly in the intestine, with most of each compound released over 12 hours.
The capsules also kept curcumin more stable at warm temperatures than free curcumin.
What they found
Capsule structure
The hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and guar gum formed a strong 3D network held together by hydrogen bonds. This let both compounds be encapsulated in a non-crystalline form, as shown by FTIR, DSC, XRD and Raman spectroscopy.
Release of mannose
The best capsules released mannose steadily over time, following zero-order kinetics, with 83.4 % cumulative release at 12 hours.
Release of curcumin
Curcumin release depended on pH and followed Super Case-II transport, with 86.6 % released in the intestine.
Encapsulation efficiency
Encapsulation reached 84.2 % for mannose and 81.9 % for curcumin.
Curcumin stability
The capsules kept 55 % of curcumin intact after 7 days at 40 °C, compared with 34 % for free curcumin.
How it works
Molecular dynamics simulations showed that guar gum dominated the van der Waals and hydrogen bonding that holds the compounds in place.
What the authors conclude
“This work provides a scalable, food-grade platform for co-delivery of bioactives with divergent solubilities, advancing functional food design.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the work provides a scalable, food-grade platform for co-delivery of bioactives with different solubilities.
- They state that this advances functional food design.
How it was done
Polysaccharide-based delivery systems could improve how well bioactive compounds in functional foods are taken up by the body. The authors used mannose and curcumin, which dissolve very differently, as model compounds to test this idea.
The authors made hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-guar gum microcapsules by spray-drying, loaded them with mannose and curcumin, and tested their release, encapsulation and stability in the lab.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are lab tests, not studies in people. They cannot show how the capsules behave in the human body or whether they improve health.
- The release and stability results come from laboratory conditions and may not match what happens after eating.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
- Authors work at
- Tianjin University of Science & Technology, China
The paper
- Title
- HPMC-GG microcapsules for co-delivery of mannose and curcumin: enhanced intestinal targeting in functional foods
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Wang X, Liang X, Qiu Z, et al (2026). HPMC-GG microcapsules for co-delivery of mannose and curcumin: enhanced intestinal targeting in functional foods. Food chemistry. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.147335PubMed 41349399DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error