Encapsulation of labile compounds in heat- and high-pressure treated protein and lipid nanoparticles

Gastrointestinal digestion behavior and bioavailability of greenly prepared highly loaded myofibrillar-luteolin vehicle

In this study, the highly loaded myofibrillar protein (MP)-luteolin (Lut) complexes were noncovalently constructed by using green high-pressure homogenization technology (HPH) and high-pressure micro-fluidization technology (HPM), aiming to optimize the encapsulation efficiency of flavonoids in the protein-based vehicle without relying on the organic solvent (i.e. DMSO, ethanol, etc.). The loading efficiency of Lut into MPs could reach 100 % with a concentration of 120 μmol/g protein by using HPH (103 MPa, 2 passes) without ethanol adoption. The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion behavior and antioxidant activity of the complexes were then compared with those of ethanol-assisted groups. During gastrointestinal digestion, the MP digestibility of complexes, reaching more than 70.56 % after thermal treatment, was higher than that of sole protein. The release profile of Lut encapsulated in ethanol-containing and ethanol-free samples both well fitted with the Hixson-Crowell release kinetic model (R2 = 0.92 and 0.94, respectively), and the total phenol content decreased by ≥ 40.02 % and ≥ 62.62 %, respectively. The in vitro antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, and Fe2+) of the digestive products was significantly improved by 23.89 %, 159.69 %, 351.12 % (ethanol groups) and 13.43 %, 125.48 %, 213.95 % (non-ethanol groups). The 3 mg/mL freeze-dried digesta significantly alleviated lipid accumulation and oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. The triglycerides and malondialdehyde contents decreased by at least 57.62 % and 67.74 % after digesta treatment. This study provides an easily approached and environment-friendly strategy to construct a highly loaded protein-flavonoid conjugate, which showed great potential in the formulation of healthier meat products.

Current trends in nano-delivery systems for functional foods: a systematic review

Background

Increased awareness of the relationship between certain components in food beyond basic nutrition and health has generated interest in the production and consumption. Functional foods owe much of their health benefits to the presence of bioactive components. Despite their importance, their poor stability, solubility, and bioavailability may require the use of different strategies including nano-delivery systems (NDS) to sustain delivery and protection during handling, storage, and ingestion. Moreover, increasing consumer trend for non-animal sourced ingredients and interest in sustainable production invigorate the need to evaluate the utility of plant-based NDS.

Method

In the present study, 129 articles were selected after screening from Google Scholar searches using key terms from current literature.

Scope

This review provides an overview of current trends in the use of bioactive compounds as health-promoting ingredients in functional foods and the main methods used to stabilize these components. The use of plant proteins as carriers in NDS for bioactive compounds and the merits and challenges of this approach are also explored. Finally, the review discusses the application of protein-based NDS in food product development and highlights challenges and opportunities for future research.

Key Findings

Plant-based NDS is gaining recognition in food research and industry for their role in improving the shelf life and bioavailability of bioactives. However, concerns about safety and possible toxicity limit their widespread application. Future research efforts that focus on mitigating or enhancing their safety for food applications is warranted.

Analytical validation of an ultraviolet-visible procedure for determining vitamin D3 in vitamin D3-loaded microparticles and toxigenetic studies for incorporation into food

Vitamin D is a water-insoluble compound presented in two main forms (D₂ and D₃), susceptible to environmental conditions. Microencapsulation is an alternative to supplements and preserve vitamin D properties in foods. Entrapment efficiency (EE) is the main property to evaluate the encapsulation effectiveness and therefore it is of interest the study of analytical methods for the identification and quantification of this compound within the particle. This paper describes a low cost UV-Vis methodology validation to the identification and quantification of vitamin D₃ in microparticles produced by hot homogenization. The method was validated following the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. To guarantee safe application in foodstuff, microparticles toxigenicity was evaluated with Allium cepa L. in vivo model, showing no cytotoxic nor genotoxic potential. High entrapment efficiency was obtained, the results also demonstrated that the concentration of vitamin D₃ in microparticles can be safely accessed by the validated method.

Reducing carotenoid loss during storage by co-encapsulation of pequi and buriti oils in oil-in-water emulsions followed by freeze-drying: Use of heated and unheated whey protein isolates as emulsifiers

Buriti and pequi oils are rich in carotenoids and beneficial to human health; however, carotenoid oxidation during storage causes color loss in foods, making it difficult to use these oils in food products. This research aimed to encapsulate pequi oil and co-encapsulate pequi and buriti oils by emulsification using whey protein isolate (WPI) as an emulsifier in two forms, natural (unheated) and heated, followed by freeze-drying. The emulsions were studied by droplet size under different stress conditions, instability index, and rheology. The freeze-dried (FD) samples were studied after accelerated oxidation and the total carotenoid retention was determined; for the reconstituted FD, the zeta potential and droplet size were recorded after storage at 37 °C for 30 days. The emulsions were stable in all conditions, with average droplet sizes between 0.88 ± 0.03 and 2.33 ± 0.02 μm, and formulations with heated WPI presented the lowest instability index values. The FD's zeta potential values ranged from -50 ± 3 to -32 ± 3 mV. The co-encapsulated oils presented higher carotenoid retention (50 ± 1 and 48 ± 1%) than the free oils (31 ± 2%) after 30 days. The oxidative stability indexes were 51 ± 4 and 46 ± 3 for the co-encapsulated oils with unheated and heated WPI, respectively, and 20.5 ± 0.1 h for the free oils. FD formulations with 1:3 ratio of oil: aqueous phase and heated or unheated WPI showed the best carotenoid retention and oxidative stability, indicating that FD oil emulsions have potential as next-generation bioactive compound carriers.

Nanochemistry of Protein-Based Delivery Agents

The past decade has seen an increased interest in the conversion of food proteins into functional biomaterials, including their use for loading and delivery of physiologically active compounds such as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Proteins possess a competitive advantage over other platforms for the development of nanodelivery systems since they are biocompatible, amphipathic, and widely available. Proteins also have unique molecular structures and diverse functional groups that can be selectively modified to alter encapsulation and release properties. A number of physical and chemical methods have been used for preparing protein nanoformulations, each based on different underlying protein chemistry. This review focuses on the chemistry of the reorganization and/or modification of proteins into functional nanostructures for delivery, from the perspective of their preparation, functionality, stability and physiological behavior.

Vitamin A degradation in triglycerides varying by their saturation levels

Vitamin A deficiency has a widespread occurrence globally and is considered as one of the world's most serious health risk factors. Potential solutions to address this deficiency include dietary diversification or supplementation, but food fortification is generally accepted as the most cost-effective solution. The main issue with food fortification of this vitamin is related to its high instability in food matrices. Dilution of vitamin A in triglycerides is a natural and appropriate way to stabilize this compound. We show here that vitamin A palmitate stability increases with increasing concentration of triglycerides. Moreover, we found that vitamin A palmitate displays improved stability in more saturated oils. Using various temperatures, and Arrhenius plots of experiments performed at storage temperatures between 30°C and 60°C for oils varying by their saturation and crystallinity, we demonstrate that crystallization is not responsible for this phenomenon. Additionally, we show by centrifugation that vitamin A is preferably solubilized in the liquid phase compared to the crystalline phase, explaining that triglyceride crystallization does not stabilize vitamin A palmitate. It is proposed that unsaturated fats generate more oxidation products such as radicals and peroxides, leading to a quicker degradation of vitamin A.

Food protein-based phytosterol nanoparticles: fabrication and characterization

Phytosterols are a group of plant sterols with well-recognized LDL-cholesterol lowering effects. The water solubility and bioaccessibility of these compounds can be greatly improved by encapsulation within food protein-based nanoparticles.

Marine protein hydrolysates: their present and future perspectives in food chemistry – a review

Marine protein hydrolysates are usually prepared by the enzymatic digestion with different proteases at controlled pH and temperature.