Synthesis, characterisation, and density functional theory study of encapsulated bioactive components of ginger

In this paper, we encapsulated ginger bioactive components in maltodextrin nanocapsules. Ginger nanocapsules were characterised using Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Particle Size Analyser (PSA). The results show that the nanoparticles have a generally globular shape with particle size under 200 nm. In addition, the simulation of gingerol and dextran, as a representative for maltodextrin, was also investigated using Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculation. From the DFT calculation, gingerol exhibited a physisorption interaction with dextran by forming hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, the density of state analysis shows that the gingerol-dextran system has a conductive-like behaviour that promotes the nanocapsules’ cell uptake.