Abstract:Curcumin has benefits such as anti-inflammation and antioxidant properties. However， its poor water solubility and physicochemical stability limit its widespread application. To improve the water solubility，stability， and bioavailability of curcumin， a stable delivery system of rice glutelin and surfactant was constructed by the pH-driven method. Additionally， the effects of surfactant types （anionic surfactant rhamnolipid and amphoteric surfactant lecithin） and mass ratios of rice glutelin to surfactant on the functional properties of the complexes were studied. The results showed that the optimal mass ratios of rice glutelin to rhamnolipid and lecithin were 5∶1 and 2∶1， respectively. At these ratios， the smallest particle sizes were （138.30±1.77） and（199.93±1.85） nm， respectively， along with the highest encapsulation rates of （93.56±0.41）% and （66.85±0.07）%， respectively. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） observations indicated that the addition of curcumin and surfactant resulted in a more uniform morphology of the complexes. Fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrated that the fluorescence intensity decreased after the addition of curcumin and surfactant. In addition，the nano-delivery system constructed with the anionic surfactant rhamnolipid exhibited superior photostability，thermal stability， gastric acid stability， and a controllable curcumin release rate during in vitro digestion. In conclusion， the nano-delivery system based on rice glutelin and rhamnolipid could serve as a good carrier for curcumin， thus improving the biological activity of curcumin.