Astaxanthin (ASX) gains wide interest in food and nutritional sciences due to its great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, ASX faces challenges such as poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and sensitivity to environmental factors. In this study, we employ Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) with mucoadhesive property as a carrier for ASX to enhance ASX stability and bioaccessibility. The complex multilayered cell envelope of AKK cell provided space for ASX loading. Immersion loading yielded the highest ASX encapsulation efficiency (10.80 ± 2.29 μg/mg in ASX@AKK group and 11.47 ± 3.52 μg/mg in ASX@AKK-Heat group), whereas osmoporation loading and vacuum loading yielded ASX encapsulation efficiencies of 4-6 μg/mg. The encapsulated ASX demonstrated improved thermostability, tolerating pasteurization, and was predominantly amorphous in state, interacting with AKK primarily through hydrophobic interactions and partial hydrogen bonding interactions. The ASX@AKK system facilitated precise ASX release in the intestine and markedly enhanced bioaccessibility, increasing approximately 25.7-fold in simulated intestinal fluid and 77.6-fold in simulated colonic fluid. Importantly, ASX encapsulation did not impair AKK's adhesive affinity to mucus. Therefore, the newly developed integrated dietary supplements have both the functional activity of inactivated AKK as a postbiotic and the antioxidant property of the intestine-targeted released ASX, showing dual-functional activities. These findings highlight a paradigm shift in the functional application of probiotics, showcasing their potential as innovative vehicles for targeted nutrient delivery with improved bioaccessibility and synergistic health effects.
Keywords: Akkermansia muciniphila; Astaxanthin; Delivery system; Intestine-targeted release; Postbiotic.
© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.