Suitability of Different Food Grade Materials for the Encapsulation of Some Functional Foods Well Reported for Their Advantages and Susceptibility

Abstract

Functional foods find a very important place in the modern era, where different types of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc. are on a high. Irrespective of the abundance of bioactive components in different fruits and vegetables, their low solubility in aqueous solution, vulnerability to destruction in different environmental and gastrointestinal conditions and a low intestinal absorption becomes a concern. Because it is quite difficult to commercialize non food materials for the food encapsulation purposes due to their safety concerns in the human body, scientists in the recent times have come up with the idea of encapsulating the different bioactive components in different food grade materials that are able to safeguard these bioactive components against the different environmental and gastrointestinal conditions and ensure their safe and targeted delivery at their absorption sites. Different food grade encapsulation materials including various oligosaccharides, polysaccharides (starch, cyclodextrins, alginates, chitosan, gum arabic, and carboxymethyl cellulose) and proteins and their suitability for encapsulating various bioactive components like flavonoids (catechins, rutin, curcumin, hesperetin, and vanillin), nonflavonoids (resveratrol), carotenoids (β-carotene, lycopene, and lutein), and fatty acids (fish oil, flaxseed oil, and olive oil) of high medical and nutritional value are reviewed here.

Keywords:

• Encapsulation
• capsule designing materials
• emulsions
• pickering emulsions
• functional foods
• nutraceuticals
• antioxidants
• controlled release
• target delivery

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are highly thankful to Mr. Huzaif Hussain Wani, Mr. Mohd Asif Naik, Mr. Rameez Ahmad Wani, Mr. Shahid Ahmad Zargar, Miss. Tahira Wani, Miss. Zahida Wani, Miss. Neda Rahmanian, Mrs. Zainab Akhter and Mr. Abdul Gani Wani for their technical assistance in this research.

FUNDING

The research was financially supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.