Utilization of Nanotechnology to Improve the Handling, Storage and Biocompatibility of Bioactive Lipids in Food Applications

Abstract

Bioactive lipids, such as fat-soluble vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids, carotenoids and phytosterols play an important role in boosting human health and wellbeing. These lipophilic substances cannot be synthesized within the human body, and so people must include them in their diet. There is increasing interest in incorporating these bioactive lipids into functional foods designed to produce certain health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer and cholesterol-lowering properties. However, many of these lipids have poor compatibility with food matrices and low bioavailability because of their extremely low water solubility. Moreover, they may also chemically degrade during food storage or inside the human gut because they are exposed to certain stressors, such as high temperatures, oxygen, light, moisture, pH, and digestive/metabolic enzymes, which again reduces their bioavailability. Nanotechnology is a promising technology that can be used to overcome many of these limitations. The aim of this review is to highlight different kinds of nanoscale delivery systems that have been designed to encapsulate and protect bioactive lipids, thereby facilitating their handling, stability, food matrix compatibility, and bioavailability. These systems include nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), nanoliposomes, nanogels, and nano-particle stabilized Pickering emulsions.

Total Fat Content and Fatty Acid Profile of Fine-Aroma Cocoa From Northeastern Peru

“…These results highlight the importance of the representative concentrations of linolenic and linoleic acids in native fine-aroma cocoa beans from northeastern Peru. Based on Cabezas-Zabala et al (30), the increased consumption of monosaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids can reduce LDL cholesterol, resulting in a growing interest in incorporating these bioactive lipids in functional foods designed to produce certain health benefits, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer and cholesterollowering properties (29). Cocoa protein and its peptides could be developed as an ingredient in the formulation of new functional foods aimed at mitigating obesity and associated disorders (31).…”

“…On the other hand, polyunsaturated fatty acids cannot be synthesized by mammals, so they must be consumed as part of their diet ( 28 , 29 ); among them are linolenic and linoleic acids, whose concentrations do not vary in any of the clusters. These acids produce energy, reconstitute the fatty tissue, and are found mostly in the seeds of vegetables and can meet 15 to 20% of daily energy needs ( 26 ).…”

“…These acids produce energy, reconstitute the fatty tissue, and are found mostly in the seeds of vegetables and can meet 15 to 20% of daily energy needs ( 26 ). Therefore, according to McClements & Öztürk ( 29 ), omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids, carotenoids and phytosterols play an important role in the improvement of human health and well-being. These results highlight the importance of the representative concentrations of linolenic and linoleic acids in native fine-aroma cocoa beans from northeastern Peru.…”

Comparative Study of Physicochemical Properties of Nanoemulsions Fabricated with Natural and Synthetic Surfactants

“…However, the most important factor for the proper design of a nanoemulsion is the correct selection of the emulsifier (or mix of them), because during fabrication of nanoemulsion is required that: (i) the emulsifier promotes a very low interfacial tension, which favors the production of small droplets when using high-energy fabrication methods, or facilitates the spontaneous formation of small droplets when applying low-energy approaches, (ii) the emulsifier concentration must be high enough to provide the amount of surfactant required to stabilize the new droplets formed, and (iii) the oil/surfactant interface must be flexible enough to induce the formation of nanoemulsion [4,7,10,27]. In addition, the kind of emulsifier used for the fabrication of nanoemulsions also impacts the stability of the emulsion to environmental stresses encountered in foods (e.g., elevated temperatures, pH, ionic strength, and long-term storage) [10,28].…”

Encapsulation and Protection of Omega-3-Rich Fish Oils Using Food-Grade Delivery Systems

“…These challenges can often be overcome using advanced encapsulation technologies, which involve converting the omega-3 PUFAs into colloidal forms, like liposomes, lipid droplets, or biopolymer particles, which are then incorporated into foods or beverages [ 10 ]. In some applications, these colloid materials can be converted into a powdered form to facilitate their handling, storage, and utilization, as well as to increase their resistance to oxidation [ 11 ].…”