3 - MILK PHOSPHOLIPIDS: A NANOCARRIER SYSTEM FOR DELIVERY OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS

Abstract

Development of new functional foods requires technologies for incorporating health-promoting compounds into matrices without reducing their bio-functionality, protecting them from degradation, and maintaining their bioavailability. The production of nanoliposomes is considered to be an effective technology for the encapsulation and controlled release of nutraceuticals and bioactive compounds, as well as for enhancing their stability and bioavailability. However, application of nanoliposome technology in foods has yet to be fully exploited. Liposomes are often prepared with methodologies requiring the use of non-food-grade materials, such as the drying and reconstituting method. On the other hand, microfluidics and extrusion can be employed to prepare food grade unilamellar phospholipid vesicles of about 100 nm in diameter, also called nanoliposomes. Although liposomes are generally prepared with phospholipids from soy or egg, in recent years there has been a growing interest in the health benefits and functional properties of Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM)-derived phospholipid extracts as these ingredients have become commercially available. The unique composition of the MFGM-derived phospholipid fractions and the low cost of some of the sources, such as buttermilk, may offer some advantages in the manufacture of nanoliposomes for the entrapment of bioactive compounds in food systems. This chapter describes the preparation, structure, and physiochemical properties of nanoliposomes prepared with phospholipids from milk and their potential function as delivery systems for bioactive compounds.