The effect of the encapsulation of curcumin on its stability was investigated through its absorbance. Alkaline pH causes rapid degradation of curcumin, initially forming an enol form that later degrades to compounds such as vanillin and ferulic acid. UV irradiation can cause curcumin degradation regardless of the solution's pH. These processes can be observed in Figure . When curcumin was encapsulated inside the coacervates, alkaline pH as well as exposure to direct UV light for 3 h did not cause significant degradation. This demonstrates the advantage of using the coacervates as delivery vehicles for dietary supplement as they can protect the encapsulated compounds. To derive the origin for the peptides' ability to protect curcumin from degradation, we performed a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay that determines the antioxidant activity of a compound. The assay revealed that all four peptides have strong antioxidant capabilities (Figure ). This antioxidant activity was also observed when the four peptides were mixed with divalent cupric ions for 30 min. The peptides reduced the copper ions to obtain monovalent cuprous ions (Figure ). This conversion appeared to be more effective when pep3 and pep4 were used, possibly due to the lack of the amine group that could interact with the copper ions, protecting them from the reduction. The same reduction capabilities were observed when the peptide reduced Au 3+ and Ag + ions (Figure ).