*Article* **Engineering of Liposome Structure to Enhance Physicochemical Properties of** *Spirulina plantensis* **Protein Hydrolysate: Stability during Spray-Drying**

**Maryam Mohammadi 1,2,\*, Hamed Hamishehkar 3, Marjan Ghorbani 4, Rahim Shahvalizadeh 1,2, Mirian Pateiro 5,\* and José M. Lorenzo 5,6**

	- hamishehkarh@tbzmed.ac.ir

**Abstract:** Encapsulating hydrolysates in liposomes can be an effective way to improve their stability and bioactivity. In this study, *Spirulina* hydrolysate was successfully encapsulated into nanoliposomes composed of different stabilizers (cholesterol or γ-oryzanol), and the synthesized liposomes were finally coated with chitosan biopolymer. The synthesized formulations were fully characterized and their antioxidant activity evaluated using different methods. Then, stabilization of coated nanoliposomes (chitosomes) by spray-drying within the maltodextrin matrix was investigated. A small mean diameter and homogeneous size distribution with high encapsulation efficiency were found in all the formulations, while liposomes stabilized with γ-oryzanol and coated with chitosan showed the highest physical stability over time and preserved approximately 90% of their initial antioxidant capacity. Spray-dried powder could preserve all characteristics of peptide-loaded chitosomes. Thus, spray-dried hydrolysate-containing chitosomes could be considered as a functional food ingredient for the human diet.

**Keywords:** *Spirulina platensis*; bioactive peptides; encapsulation; liposomes; chitosome
