8 - Nanoencapsulation of bioactive food ingredients

Abstract

Over the last couple of decades, there has been a growing research interest in the nanoencapsulation of food ingredients using different techniques and the incorporation of the nanoencapsulated ingredients into various food products, known as “functional foods.” This includes the delivery of diverse classes of bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, and flavors. Many encapsulation methods have been experimented with and suggested for such a broad group of bioactive compounds: emulsification, spray drying, coacervation, liposomal/niosomal entrapment, complexation of proteins–polysaccharides, inclusion complexation, encapsulation within solid lipid nanoparticles/nanostructured lipid carriers, etc. In addition, various nanoencapsulated bioactive compounds have been incorporated into food products, including milk and dairy products, bars, bread, breakfast cereals, meat products, cookies, cakes, juices, oils, and chewing gum. The nanoencapsulation approach provides some potential advantages in improving solubility/dispersibility of the bioactive compounds (particularly, hydrophobic compounds) in food, controlling their release in the gastrointestinal digestive tract, masking their undesirable sensorial properties, improving their chemical stability in food during manufacture and storage, and maintaining their functionality/efficacy in the human body. In this chapter, we discuss the novel and conventional techniques that have been used for nanodelivery of the aforementioned bioactive compounds. Furthermore, different nanocarriers (wall materials) and their suitability for nanodelivery of bioactive compounds in food are addressed. We also discuss the challenges associated with nanodelivery of bioactive compounds (e.g., potential toxicity), as well as the possible novel approaches for engineering, modification, and overcoming such challenges of the nanoencapsulation systems.