Self-assembled proanthocyanidin-Iron microspheres with multilayer alginate coating for effective inhibition of advanced glycation end-products.

This study proposes a novel strategy to overcome the trade-off between high inhibitory activity against Advanced glycation end-products and processing stability of natural polyphenols by designing proanthocyanidin‑iron microspheres. These microspheres were fabricated via coordination-driven self-assembly of iron ions and proanthocyanidins, followed by coating with sodium alginate. Characterization using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy revealed the structural characteristics and interfacial interactions of the microspheres. Molecular docking simulations verified a high-affinity interaction between proanthocyanidins and bovine serum albumin, with a binding free energy difference of 3.30 kcal/mol. In a biscuit model, the microspheres exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of fluorescent advanced glycation end-products(58.7%)at the highest tested concentration. This work establishes proanthocyanidin‑iron microspheres as a potential functional food ingredient with anti-glycation properties, providing a viable strategy for dietary intervention by controlling deleterious compounds in processed foods.