Advances in nutraceutical delivery systems: From formulation design for bioavailability enhancement to efficacy and safety evaluation

Publication date: August 2018Source: Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 78Author(s): Raquel F.S. Gonçalves, Joana T. Martins, Catarina M.M. Duarte, António A. Vicente, Ana C. PinheiroAbstractBackgroundAiming at the enhancement of food products' nutritional and health value, the incorporation of nutraceuticals has attracted increasing interest in the last years. However, they often exhibit low water solubility and stability, limiting their direct incorporation into food products. Also, they show very low bioavailability due to limited bioaccessibility, poor absorption and/or chemical transformation within the gastrointestinal tract. This renders their health benefits extremely difficult to be realized by the consumers.Scope and approachIn the present review the recent innovations regarding the formulation and design of bio-based micro and nano-delivery systems to encapsulate nutraceuticals is discussed; it also gives an overview of the challenges associated to their development; and highlights some strategies to enhance nutraceuticals' bioavailability. An insight about delivery systems' potential toxicity (in particular at nano-scale) is also provided.Key findings and conclusionsRecent developments in the design of bio-based delivery systems offer the possibility of stabilizing and enhancing nutraceuticals' functionality within food products. In fact, different strategies can be used to enhance nutraceuticals' bioavailability: i) nano-delivery systems, besides showi...
Source: Trends in Food Science and Technology - Category: Food Science Source Type: research