NutriNano: Feasibility study on application of natural and liposomal bioactive ingredients for improved nutrition

ω-3长链多不饱和脂肪酸（O3 LC-PUFAs）的膳食摄入在调节大脑发育和正常心脏功能以及调节血液甘油三酯含量（包括炎症和免疫反应）中起重要作用。欧洲食品标准局（EFSA）批准了与O3 LC-PUFA摄入益处相关的健康声明，得出结论认为，健康成人和儿童需要250毫克/天来维持一般心血管健康，需要2- 4克/天来维持血压和甘油三酯水平。目前，O3 LC-PUFA的主要来源是鱼类和鱼油，然而，这些来源的生产是不可持续的，不太可能满足日益增长的需求，特别是对素食来源的需求。只有25%的英国人口是油性鱼类消费者，由于越来越多的植物性饮食和可持续性问题，预计会进一步下降。微藻如小球藻提供了O3 LC-PUFA的可持续替代来源，然而含有它们的食品由于强烈的“鱼腥味”而难以被消费者接受。此外，它们在递送的O3 LC-PUFA剂量方面缺乏功效（生物利用度差），增加了膳食摄入量与推荐量之间的差距（特别是对于儿童、青少年、女性和孕妇），这对当代和后代的人类健康具有重大影响。油的超声空化（UCav）产生纳米尺寸的液滴（纳米脂质体），其在水或水溶液的存在下产生纳米乳液。纳米乳剂中的油在通过消化系统（生物可及性）时存活，更容易从肠道消化和吸收（生物利用度）。UCav是能源密集型的，并且对于工业规模的纳米乳液生产具有有限的范围。该项目将评估用于微藻油纳米脂质体生产的更可持续、可扩展的机械空化（MCav）方法，该方法与掩味技术相结合，旨在生产各种易于消费的食品和含有O3 LC-PUFA的补充剂，提高生物可及性和生物利用度。这些创新的功能性食品和补充剂的性能将通过体外消化（人类消化模型）来确定，而消费者的接受程度将通过使用感官小组来确定。研究人员会在纳米乳剂中加入多酚类抗氧化剂，以评估纳米脂质体的保质期是否延长。这项研究计划有助开发更多功能性食品。这些都有可能有助于缩小omega-3饮食差距，促进成人和儿童的健康。

Dietary intakes of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (O3LC-PUFAs) play an important role in the regulation of the development of the brain and normal heart function and the regulation of blood triglyceride content including, inflammatory and immune responses. The European Food Standards Authority (EFSA) approval of health claims relating to the benefits of O3LC-PUFA intake concluded that 250mg/day is required for the maintenance of general cardiovascular health among healthy adults and children and 2-4g/day is needed for maintenance of blood pressure and triglyceride levels.Presently, the main sources for O3LC-PUFAs are fish and fish oils, however, the production of these sources is unsustainable and unlikely to meet the growing demand, especially for vegan sources. Only 25% of the UK population are oily fish consumers and further decreases are anticipated due to growing plant-based diets and sustainability concerns. Microalgae such as _Chlorella vulgaris_ provide a sustainable alternative source of O3LC-PUFAs, however food products containing them have poor consumer acceptance due to strong 'fishy' odours. Furthermore, they lack efficacy with regard to dose of O3LC-PUFAs delivered (poor bioavailability) increasing the gap between dietary intake and recommendations (particularly for children, teenagers, females and pregnant women) which has significant implications for human health in current and future generations.Liposomes (small oil droplets) exist in many foods naturally in the form of emulsions, such as human milk. Ultrasonic cavitation (UCav) of oils generates nano-sized droplets (nano-liposomes) which in the presence of water or aqueous solutions creates nano-emulsions. Oils in nano-emulsions survive passage through the digestive system (bioaccessibility), are more readily digested and absorbed from the gut (bioavailability). UCav is energy intensive and has limited scope for industrial scale nano-emulsion production. This project will evaluate more sustainable, scalable, mechanical cavitation (MCav) methods for microalgal oil nanoliposome production which, in association with flavour masking techniques, will aim to produce various readily-consumed foods and supplements containing O3LC-PUFAs with improved bioaccessibility and bioavailability. The performance of these innovative functional foods and supplements will be determined through _in vitro_ digestion (human digestive models), whilst consumer acceptance will be determined through use of sensory panels. Extended shelf-life of the nano-liposomes in nano-emulsions will be evaluated through the addition of polyphenols which act as anti-oxidants.This project will help to pave the way towards the development of a wider range of functional foods. These have potential promise to help close the omega-3 dietary gaps and promote health in adults and children.