Nanoencapsulation of Spice Oils

Abstract

The growing interest in the development of nanoencapsulated particles for food applications has brought the attention of researchers toward bioactive (BA) compounds present in spices (turmeric, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla); fruits (strawberry, orange); and herbs (mint, etc.). Nanoencapsulation is an important process to encapsulate the lipophilic BA compounds within a shell with a diameter of “nano” range (<100 nm). The flavoring BA compounds possess high sensory, biological, and pharmaceutical properties with limited stability against different environmental or biological conditions for their highly volatile and chemically labile nature. The nanoencapsulation imparts stability to aromatic BA compounds against thermal and/or photo degradation and harsh biological conditions, and allows the gradual release of the core material at the targeted site. The flavoring and aromatic compounds have a wide range of applications in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and perfume industries, depending on the site of use (i.e., water, mouth, skin, air, etc.). Encapsulation helps mask the odor of a flavorant while maintaining its flavor profile and pungency (e.g., piperine, capsaicin for use as a nutraceutical). Various techniques (e.g., solvent precipitation with different nonionic surfactants, liquid–liquid dispersion, ionic gelation, high-pressure homogenization, sonication, emulsification, etc.) have been explored to develop nanoparticles of spice oils with higher retention of flavor and aroma. The present chapter is an overview of literature on nanoencapsulation of spice oils and its influence on their biological activities.