Abstract
Hypercholesterolemia, which is an increase in total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) serum cholesterol, is an important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Lifestyle modifications underpin any action plan for reducing serum cholesterol. Phytosterols are natural compounds belonging to the triterpenes family. Thanks to their structural analogy with cholesterol, phytosterols have the ability to reduce serum LDL-cholesterol levels. Phytosterols are used to enrich or fortify a broad spectrum of food products. Like unsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol, phytosterols are easily oxidized. Microencapsulation could be a useful tool to overcome this and other drawbacks linked to the use of phytosterols in food fortification. In this review, in addition to explaining the phytosterols’ mechanisms of action, a focus on the use of free and encapsulated phytosterols for the formulation of functional foods, taking also into account both technological and legislative issues, is given.
Highlights
Phytosterols, called plant sterols, are natural compounds belonging to the triterpene family.They are structurally similar to cholesterol, except for the presence of a methyl or ethyl group at the C-24 carbon atom of their side chain
As reported by Alvarez-Sala et al [27], the presence of other substances used as ingredients in food formulation might have an effect on the solubility and bioavailability of phytosterols and it was noted that the effectiveness of phytosterols on the reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels was influenced by the type of food matrix, by the number of portions per day, time of intake, if they are consumed as a snack or as a meal, their origin, etc
Since many scientific evidences support the beneficial effects of phytosterols on human health, their use for the formulation of functional food is increasing
Summary
Phytosterols, called plant sterols, are natural compounds belonging to the triterpene family. The phytosterols’ incorporation into food products is challenging because of their susceptibility to oxidation, water insolubility, and chalky taste These obstacles could be removed through the development and optimization of microencaspsulated phytosterols, obtained via the bioactive packaging in protective matrices [4,7,8]. In literature other reviews concerning the microencapsulation of bioactive compounds have been published [9,10,11], to our knowledge none about the phytosterols’ microencapsulation is available Against this background, the purpose of this review was to provide a summary about the use of free and encapsulated phytosterols for the formulation of functional foods, taking into account both technological and legislative issues
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