Turmeric, the key ingredient in golden milk, contains a bioactive compound called curcumin. Curcumin exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but not much of it passes into the bloodstream when we eat it. Scientists used a pH-driven approach to encapsulate curcumin inside the tiny fat droplets in soymilk, making it more bioavailable.
Read an ACS press release about this research: Researchers develop an instant version of trendy, golden turmeric milk
“Utilizing a green pH-driven approach for developing curcumin-infused soymilk”
Presented at ACS Fall 2024 on Aug. 18, 2024
Presenter: Anthony Suryamiharja
Principal investigator: Hualu Zhou, Ph.D.
Video credits:
Written by Anne Hylden
Produced by Kerri Jansen and Anne Hylden
Edited by Darren Weaver
Narrated by Emily Schneider
Executive produced by Matthew Radcliff
Emily Schneider contributed research for this video.
Research videos by Anthony Suryamiharja
Additional videos: Anne Hylden
Animations: Darren Weaver
Music: “Time to Strut” by Alexandra Woodward from Epidemic Sound
Transcript
This golden milk has an unusual ingredient: a shot of acid-base chemistry. Its yellow color comes from curcumin, an anti-inflammatory compound found in turmeric. Curcumin doesn’t dissolve very well in water. Its molecules stick together as crystals, which can’t get absorbed by our gut. But chemists have a creative solution.
They use a strong base to remove these hydrogen atoms. This makes the curcumin molecules negatively charged, so they’ll separate from each other and dissolve. This mixture blends easily into soymilk. The chemists then add a buffer to neutralize the base. This puts the curcumin back into the form that avoids water, so it squeezes itself into the fat droplets that are suspended in the milk. These tiny fat droplets will get digested easily, carrying the curcumin with them.
This research is being presented at ACS Fall 2024, a meeting of the American Chemical Society.
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