Recent development of lactoferrin-based vehicles for the delivery of bioactive compounds: Complexes, emulsions, and nanoparticles

Publication date: Available online 30 June 2018 Source:Trends in Food Science & Technology Author(s): Fuguo Liu, Shuhan Zhang, Junyi Li, David Julian McClements, Xuebo Liu Background Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein that exhibits a variety of potentially beneficial biological activities and has favorable safety and biocompatibility characteristics. For these reasons, LF has been widely used as a functional component in the medical, food, and cosmetic industries. Applications of LF-based materials, such as nanoparticles, hydrogels and emulsions, to encapsulate, protect and deliver bioactive compounds is gaining increasing attention. Scope and approach This review highlights the considerable potential of LF-based encapsulation and delivery systems by summarizing research progress on the structure, physicochemical properties, and biological activities of LF. In particular, it highlights advances in utilizing LF-based nanocarriers as natural vehicles for nutraceutical delivery and release, as well as strategies for encapsulating lactoferrin as a functional ingredient. Key findings and conclusions Functional LF-biopolymer complexes can be formed by heat treatment, covalent conjugation or electrostatic assembly under appropriate fabrication conditions. These complexes have been shown to be highly effective for the oral delivery of nutraceuticals and drugs. Lactoferrin can also be utilized to fabricate emulsions, nanoparticles, or microgels to improv...
Source: Trends in Food Science and Technology - Category: Food Science Source Type: research