Boosting the bioavailability of hydrophobic nutrients, vitamins, and nutraceuticals in natural products using excipient emulsions

Abstract

Many highly hydrophobic bioactives, such as non-polar nutrients, nutraceuticals, and vitamins, have a relatively low or variable oral bioavailability. The poor bioavailability profile of these bioactives may be due to limited bioaccessibility, poor absorption, and/or chemical transformation within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The bioavailability of hydrophobic bioactives can be improved using specially designed oil-in-water emulsions consisting of lipid droplets dispersed within an aqueous phase. The bioactives may be isolated from their natural environment and then incorporated into the lipid phase of emulsion-based delivery systems. Alternatively, the bioactives may be left in their natural environment (e.g., fruits or vegetables), and then ingested with emulsion-based excipient systems. An excipient emulsion may have no inherent health benefits itself, but it boosts the biological activity of bioactive ingredients co-ingested with it by altering their bioaccessibility, absorption, and/or chemical transformation. This review discusses the design and fabrication of excipient emulsions, and gives some examples of recent research that demonstrates their potential efficacy for improving the bioavailability of hydrophobic bioactives. The concept of excipient emulsions could be used to formulate emulsion-based food products (such as excipient sauces, dressings, dips, creams, or yogurts) specifically designed to increase the bioavailability of bioactive agents in natural foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Eksi̇pi̇yan Gida Ve Emülsi̇yonlarin Karotenoi̇d Bi̇yoeri̇şi̇lebi̇li̇rli̇ği̇ Üzeri̇ne Etki̇si̇

“…Hidrofilik matriks içinde emülsiyon yap›s›ndaki formülasyonlar›n karotenoidlerin biyoyaray›fll›l›¤›n› artt›rd›¤› rapor edilmifltir (28). Hidrofobik karakterdeki biyoaktif bilefliklerin düflük biyoeriflilebilirli¤ine çok say›da faktör neden olmaktad›r (29). Çeflitli fizikokimyasal ve fiziksel proseslerle g›da matriksinden kolayl›kla a盤a ç›kamamalar›, gastrointestinal s›v›lardaki düflük çözünürlük, yüksek erime noktas› ve düflük kimyasal stabiliteye sahip olmalar› lipofilik karakterdeki biyoaktif g›da bilefliklerinin biyoyaray›fll›l›¤›n› azaltan faktörlerdir.…”

“…Su içinde ya¤ emülsiyonlar›nda, g›da bileflenleri ve proses kolayl›kla formüle edilebilir ve genifl bir çeflitlilikte g›da üretimi (içecekler, yo¤urtlar, salata soslar›, soslar ve tatl›lar vb.) gerçeklefltirilebilir (29). Sonuç olarak nanoemülsiyonlar biyoaktif bilefliklerin biyoyaray›fll›l›¤›n›/ biyoeriflilebilirli¤ini artt›rmak üzere g›da ile birlikte tüketilen bir eksipiyan emülsiyon olabilirler.…”

“…Bu noktada ya¤ damlac›klar› koruyucu bir rol üstlenmektedir. Kar›fl›k meyve suyuna süt ilavesi, lipofilik nütrosötiklerin biyoeriflilebilirli¤inin art›fl›na neden olurken, hidrofilik karakterde olanlar›n biyoeriflilebilirli¤inde azalma meydana gelmifltir (29). Sütte yer alan proteinlerin ve minerallerin yeflil çay flavanollerinin (epikateflin, epigallokateflin-3-gallat, epigallokateflin vb.)…”

Impact of Pesticide Type and Emulsion Fat Content on the Bioaccessibility of Pesticides in Natural Products

“…For instance, the presence of digestible lipids within an emulsion increases the bioaccessibility of lipophilic nutraceuticals by forming mixed micelles capable of solubilizing and carrying them [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. The bioavailability-boosting effects of emulsions are influenced by the type of ingredients used to assemble them, their structural organization, and the intrinsic properties of the nutraceuticals (e.g., molecular dimensions and hydrophobicity) [17][18][19].…”

Stability and in vitro digestibility of beta‐carotene in nanoemulsions fabricated with different carrier oils

“…To overcome these limitations, the nanoemulsion system has been developed for effectively stabilizing and delivering lipophilic nutraceuticals (Acosta, 2009). The mostly common oil‐in‐water emulsion can be obtained by solubilizing the lipophilic nutraceuticals within a carrier oil in the presence of certain surfactants followed by homogenization (McClements et al., 2016). …”