Preparation and characterization of soybean protein isolate/pectin-based phytosterol nanodispersions and their stability in simulated digestion

Protein-Pectin Delivery Carriers for Food Bioactive Ingredients: Preparation, Release Mechanism, and Application

Food bioactive ingredients have received widespread attention due to their excellent nutritional and functional properties, regulating the organism. However, some food bioactive ingredients have the disadvantages of poor stability and low bioavailability, which limits their wider application in food. The current study has recently shown a growing interest in designing delivery systems due to their advantages in encapsulating, protecting, and controlling the release of food bioactive ingredients. This review summarizes the classification of protein-pectin delivery carriers, including emulsions, nanoparticles, microcapsules, gels, and films. Besides, the typical preparation methods and the factors affecting the stability of the carriers were presented. Moreover, the release mechanism of the protein-pectin delivery carriers was introduced. Furthermore, the applications of protein-pectin delivery carriers were also described. The protein-pectin delivery carriers have broad research prospects in the functional food and nutritional field. Protein-pectin delivery carriers can enhance the protection of food bioactive ingredient delivery due to their strong interaction force and excellent emulsification properties. Therefore, they can effectively protect food bioactive ingredients from harsh processing conditions and adverse environments in vivo, and improve their physicochemical properties, stability, and bioavailability, which have good application prospects.

Enhancing water solubility of phytosterols through Co-amorphization with food-grade coformers

Phytosterols (PS) offer significant health benefits in human diet, but its poor solubility limits its effectiveness and application. This study explored enhancing PS solubility by testing thirteen food-grade coformers, three preparation methods and proportions screening to obtain the optimal formulation. Nicotinamide (Nic) was identified as the most effective coformer. A 20:1 (w/w) PS-Nic co-amorphous (CM) mixture, prepared via freeze-drying, achieved a solubility of 1536.4 μg/mL, significantly higher than pure PS. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry confirmed the amorphous state of the mixture. Fourier-transform infrared, Raman, and 1H NMR spectroscopies, along with molecular dynamics simulations, revealed strong intermolecular interactions between PS and Nic. The PS-Nic CM demonstrated up to 60% in vitro dissolution and release within 2 h and maintained stable after storage at 4 °C for 6 months and under accelerated conditions equivalent to 10 months at room temperature. In sum, the crystal structure of PS was altered, and formed a co-amorphous system by using Nic as the optimal ligand via lyophilization to increase solubility. These findings suggest that the PS-Nic CM system has potential applications in functional foods, offering a feasible strategy to enhance the bioavailability of PS.

Advancing protein hydrolysis and phytosterol encapsulation: Emerging trends and innovations in protein-based microencapsulation techniques - A comprehensive review

Phytosterols represent a diverse and complex category of lipophilic bioactive compounds, exhibiting excellent pro-healthy properties. However, their consumption in daily diets is insufficient, and their application in food production is hindered by challenges such as low water solubility, high reactivity, and rapid degradation. The adoption of different protein or their structural modification as hydrolysates as wall material into microencapsulation techniques can be associated with improved solubility, enhanced bioaccessibility, increased bioavailability, and an extension of shelf life. This contribution provides an overview of advancements in modifying functional properties through various protein isolation methods and structural changes resulting from enzymatic hydrolysis. Additionally, the paper considers the state of the art in the utilization of various techniques and the composition of wall material in the encapsulation of phytosterols and other common lipophilic phytochemicals incorporated into delivery systems. Protein isolates obtained through novel methods of extraction may be characterized by an enhancement of their functional properties, which is crucial for the microencapsulation process. It entails not only recognizing their role as protective barriers for core materials against environmental conditions but also acknowledging their potential health-promoting attributes. These attributes encompass antioxidant properties and enhanced functional characteristics compared to native proteins. Moreover, the exploration of protein hydrolysates as versatile wall materials holds significant promise. These hydrolysates offer exceptional protective features for core materials, extending beyond mere environmental shielding. The envisioned impact extends beyond conventional delivery systems, offering transformative potential for the future of drug delivery and nutraceutical formulations.

Current and New Insights on Delivery Systems for Plant Sterols in Food

Plant sterols are minor bioactive components of food lipids, which are often used for the formulation of functional foods due to their cholesterol-lowering properties. However, they have low solubility and tend to crystallize, which may affect their biological effects, the sensory profile of the sterol-enriched food, and its consumer acceptability. Moreover, due to the unsaturated structure of sterols, they are susceptible to oxidation, so different encapsulation systems have been developed to improve their dispersibility/solubility, stability, delivery, and bioaccessibility. This chapter provides an overview of the main encapsulation systems currently used for plant sterols and their application in model and food systems, with a particular focus on their efficiency and impact on sterol bioaccessibility.

Improvement of emulsifying stability of coconut globulin by noncovalent interactions with coffee polyphenols

Coconut milk is an unstable emulsion system, mainly stabilized by proteins, which limits the development of the food industry. The aim of this study was to investigate mechanisms for increasing emulsion stability through the interaction between coffee polyphenols (CPs) and coconut globulin (CG), the main protein in coconut milk. Caffeic acid (CA), chlorogenic acid (CHA), and ferulic acid (FA) were selected as CP models. The results showed that hydrogen bond interactions mainly occurred between CG and CPs (CG-FA < CG-CA < CG-CHA). CHA containing quinic acid preferentially formed a strong interaction with CG. The interaction changed the lipophilicity of CG and facilitated the formation of a dense and thick interfacial film at the oil-water interface. Furthermore, the emulsion stabilized by CG-CPs showed excellent stability after storage, centrifugation, pH, and salt treatment, especially CG-CHA. This study could provide a theoretical basis for improving the stability of coconut milk products.

Combination of Nanodelivery Systems and Constituents Derived from Novel Foods: A Comprehensive Review

Novel Food is a new category of food, regulated by the European Union Directive No. 2015/2283. This latter norm defines a food as "Novel" if it was not used "for human consumption to a significant degree within the Union before the date of entry into force of that regulation, namely 15 May 1997". Recently, Novel Foods have received increased interest from researchers worldwide. In this sense, the key areas of interest are the discovery of new benefits for human health and the exploitation of these novel sources of materials in new fields of application. An emerging area in the pharmaceutical and medicinal fields is nanotechnology, which deals with the development of new delivery systems at a nanometric scale. In this context, this review aims to summarize the recent advances on the design and characterization of nanodelivery systems based on materials belonging to the Novel Food list, as well as on nanoceutical products formulated for delivering compounds derived from Novel Foods. Additionally, the safety hazard of using nanoparticles in food products, i.e., food supplements, has been discussed in view of the current European regulation, which considers nanomaterials as Novel Foods.

Molecular Interaction of Pea Glutelin and Lipophilic Bioactive Compounds: Structure-Binding Relationship and Nano-/Microcomplexation

This study investigated the impact of ionic strength and lipophilicity of bioactive compounds on their interaction with the alkaline soluble pea glutelin fraction (ASF) using the fluorescence quenching technique. A Stern-Volmer quenching constant, KD, of 8.9 ± 0.10, 5.3 ± 0.06, 4.0 ± 0.01, 1.1 ± 0.00, 0.9 ± 0.02, and 0.1 ± 0.00 (×104 M-1) was observed for curcumin-ASF (CuASF), astaxanthin-ASF (AsASF), cholecalciferol-ASF (ChASF), β-carotene-ASF (βCaASF), coenzyme Q10-ASF (Q10ASF), and β-sitosterol-ASF (βSiASF) complexes, respectively. An increase in ionic strength did not significantly change KD, the effective quenching constant K, and the bimolecular quenching rate constant KQ. However, it changed the mode of interaction of the ASF with cholecalciferol, β-carotene, coenzyme Q10, and β-sitosterol from static to static-dynamic quenching. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the morphology formed with protein (spherical nanocomplexes, microaggregates, or fiber-like particles) differed among the compounds. The favorable binding of CuASF, AsASF, ChASF, and βCaASF complexes provides stable matrices for formulating protein-based delivery systems for lipophilic nutraceuticals.

Production, Characterization, Delivery, and Cholesterol-Lowering Mechanism of Phytosterols: A Review

Phytosterols are natural plant-based bioactive compounds that can lower blood cholesterol levels and help prevent cardiovascular diseases. Consequently, they are being utilized in functional foods, supplements, and pharmaceutical products designed to improve human health. This paper summarizes different approaches to isolate, purify, and characterize phytosterols. It also discusses the hypolipidemic mechanisms of phytosterols and their impact on cholesterol transportation. Phytosterols have a low water-solubility, poor chemical stability, and limited bioavailability, which limits their utilization and efficacy in functional foods. Strategies are therefore being developed to overcome these shortcomings. Colloidal delivery systems, such as emulsions, oleogels, liposomes, and nanoparticles, have been shown to be effective at improving the water-dispersibility, stability, and bioavailability of phytosterols. These delivery systems can be used to incorporate phytosterols into a broader range of cholesterol-lowering functional foods and beverages. We also discuses several issues that need to be addressed before these phytosterol delivery systems can find widespread commercial utilization.