Agar and κ-carrageenan emulsion gels and oil-filled aerogels were investigated as curcumin carriers and their structure and mechanical properties, as well as their structural changes upon in vitro gastrointestinal digestion were characterized. Agar emulsion gels presented stiffer behaviour, with smaller and more homogeneous oil droplets (ϕ ∼ 12 µm) than those from κ-carrageenan (ϕ ∼ 243 µm). The structure of κ-carrageenan gels was characterized by the presence of rigid swollen linear chains, while agar produced more branched networks. After simulated gastrointestinal digestion bile salt lamellae/micelles (∼5 nm) and larger vesicles of partially digested oil (Rg ∼ 20–50 nm) were the predominant structures, being their proportion dependent of the polysaccharide type and the physical state of the gel network. The presence of curcumin induced the formation of larger vesicles and limited the formation of mixed lamellae/micelles., The projects RTI2018-094268-B-C22 and RTI-2018-094268-B-C21 were funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. Cynthia Fontes-Candia is recipient of a pre-doctoral grant from CONACYT (MEX/Ref. 306680). Synchrotron experiments were performed at NCD beamline at ALBA Synchrotron (2019103981 project).

Agar and κ-carrageenan emulsion gels and oil-filled aerogels were investigated as curcumin carriers and their structure and mechanical properties, as well as their structural changes upon in vitro gastrointestinal digestion were characterized. Agar emulsion gels presented stiffer behaviour, with smaller and more homogeneous oil droplets (ϕ ∼ 12 µm) than those from κ-carrageenan (ϕ ∼ 243 µm). The structure of κ-carrageenan gels was characterized by the presence of rigid swollen linear chains, while agar produced more branched networks. After simulated gastrointestinal digestion bile salt lamellae/micelles (∼5 nm) and larger vesicles of partially digested oil (Rg ∼ 20–50 nm) were the predominant structures, being their proportion dependent of the polysaccharide type and the physical state of the gel network. The presence of curcumin induced the formation of larger vesicles and limited the formation of mixed lamellae/micelles., The projects RTI2018-094268-B-C22 and RTI-2018-094268-B-C21 were funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. Cynthia Fontes-Candia is recipient of a pre-doctoral grant from CONACYT (MEX/Ref. 306680). Synchrotron experiments were performed at NCD beamline at ALBA Synchrotron (2019103981 project).

Agar and κ-carrageenan emulsion gels and oil-filled aerogels were investigated as curcumin carriers and their structure and mechanical properties, as well as their structural changes upon in vitro gastrointestinal digestion were characterized. Agar emulsion gels presented stiffer behaviour, with smaller and more homogeneous oil droplets (ϕ ∼ 12 µm) than those from κ-carrageenan (ϕ ∼ 243 µm). The structure of κ-carrageenan gels was characterized by the presence of rigid swollen linear chains, while agar produced more branched networks. After simulated gastrointestinal digestion bile salt lamellae/micelles (∼5 nm) and larger vesicles of partially digested oil (Rg ∼ 20-50 nm) were the predominant structures, being their proportion dependent of the polysaccharide type and the physical state of the gel network. The presence of curcumin induced the formation of larger vesicles and limited the formation of mixed lamellae/micelles., The projects RTI2018-094268-B-C22 and RTI2018-094268-B-C21 were funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. Cynthia Fontes-Candia is recipient of a pre-doctoral grant from CONACYT (MEX/Ref. 306680). Synchrotron experiments were performed at NCD beamline at ALBA Synchrotron (2019103981 project)., Peer reviewed

Supplementary data 1., Peer reviewed