Food structuring and encapsulation strategies for nutraceutical stabilization and delivery

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Functional foods contain bioactive compounds which promote health and prevent disease. When such compounds are isolated from foods, they are referred to as nutraceuticals. Together, functional foods and nutraceuticals (FFN) are an increasingly important segment of Canada's agricultural and food industries. Despite the growing popularity of FFN, however, there are concerns about product efficacy. In order to use them in supplements or as food ingredients, nutraceuticals can be encapsulated. However, stability can be impaired during extraction, encapsulation or subsequent storage and processing. Furthermore, many bioactive compounds are not effectively released from foods or supplements during digestion. Lipophilic nutraceuticals, in particular, have low bioaccessibilities. This means that only small fractions of some ingested nutrients are released during digestion and available to be absorbed. The structure and physical properties of FFN can have a significant impact on digestion and the bioaccessibility of nutraceuticals. This research will address fundamental questions related to how carrier structure determines the stability and bioaccessibility of lipophilic nutraceuticals. A model lipophilic nutraceutical, beta-carotene, will be encapsulated in lipid-based carriers (nanoemulsions, lipid nanoparticles and liposomes). The relationships between carrier structure, encapsulation efficiency, storage stability, and in vitro digestive performance will be determined. Bioaccessibility will be studied by exposing the carriers to conditions which mimic the gastric and duodenal environments and measuring the changes in the colloidal properties of the carriers, beta-carotene release and micellarization. Based on the understandings gained, novel encapsulation strategies to promote nutraceutical stabilization and delivery will be developed. This work will address basic questions about how FFN can be structured for optimal performance. It will lead to a better understanding of how food ingredient structure influences the nutritional quality of foods.