Encapsulation Processes: Valorization, Stabilization and Commercialization of Active and Natural Compounds

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 4365

Special Issue Editor

1. LEPABE, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
2. ALiCE—Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200‐465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: microencapsulation of active and natural compounds; development of controlled delivery functional systems; development of microstructures of therapeutic, nutritional, and technological interest; microencapsulation via a spray-drying process; microencapsulation via an electrospinning/electrospraying process; controlled release studies; use of biopolymers as encapsulating agents; characterization of microstructures (particles, fibers, films)
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Encapsulation processes have become a challenging approach to developing nutraceutical and fortified foods and beverages containing a variety of bioactive agents, considering their health benefits. On the other hand, different compounds extracted from agriculture by-products produced in the agrifood chain can be microencapsulated and incorporated in different products to improve their qualities. The valorization of by-products and maximum utilization of raw materials constitute highly relevant topics in the EU and worldwide. Using vegetable by-products encourages a circular economy via generating an eco-sustainable and health-promoting class of compounds.

In this Special Issue, we aim to publish innovative research results and review papers dealing with the encapsulation, valorization, stabilization and commercialization of microencapsulated formulations containing active and natural compounds, namely compounds extracted from agriculture by-products.

These papers can explore novel encapsulation techniques or encapsulation matrices, and the physicochemical characteristics of the encapsulation systems and their food applications, including sensorial characteristics, the nutritional value of food products containing encapsulated compounds and/or their simulated digestion behavior.

This Special Issue also seeks to provide a fundamental understanding of current strategies to improve the encapsulation and the valorization of specific active and natural compounds.

Dr. Berta Nogueiro Estevinho
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • encapsulation of functional compounds
  • by-product valorization
  • microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation processes
  • controlled release studies
  • functional supplements
  • nutraceutical products
  • characterization of microstructures
  • kinetic release models

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 3925 KiB  
Article
Encapsulation of Indicaxanthin-Rich Opuntia Green Extracts by Double Emulsions for Improved Stability and Bioaccessibility
by Sara Parralejo-Sanz, Isabel Quereda-Moraleda, Teresa Requena and M. Pilar Cano
Foods 2024, 13(7), 1003; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13071003 - 25 Mar 2024
Viewed by 235
Abstract
Opuntia ficus-indica var. Colorada fruit is an important source of indicaxanthin, a betalain with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuromodulatory potential, proven in both in vitro and in vivo models. Other betalains and phenolic compounds with bioactive activities have also been identified in Colorada fruit [...] Read more.
Opuntia ficus-indica var. Colorada fruit is an important source of indicaxanthin, a betalain with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuromodulatory potential, proven in both in vitro and in vivo models. Other betalains and phenolic compounds with bioactive activities have also been identified in Colorada fruit extracts. These compounds may degrade by their exposure to different environmental factors, so in the present research, two double emulsion systems (W1/O/W2) were elaborated using Tween 20 (TW) and sodium caseinate (SC) as surfactants to encapsulate Colorada fruit pulp extracts, with the aim of enhancing their stability during storage. Encapsulation efficiencies of up to 97.3 ± 2.7%, particle sizes between 236 ± 4 and 3373 ± 64 nm, and zeta potential values of up to ∣46.2∣ ± 0.3 mV were obtained. In addition, the evaluation of the in vitro gastro-intestinal stability and bioaccessibility of the main individual bioactives was carried out by standardized INFOGEST© protocol, obtaining the highest values for the encapsulated extract bioactives in comparison with the non-encapsulated extract (control). Especially, TW double emulsion showed bioaccessibility values of up to 82.8 ± 1.5% for the main bioactives (indicaxanthin, piscidic acid, and isorhamnetin glucoxyl-rhamnosyl-pentoside 2 (IG2)), indicating a promising potential for its use as a functional natural colorant ingredient. Full article
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16 pages, 5162 KiB  
Article
Microencapsulation of Tecoma stans Extracts: Bioactive Properties Preservation and Physical Characterization Analysis
by Jair R. García-Jiménez, María L. Luna-Guevara, Juan J. Luna-Guevara, Lilia A. Conde-Hernández, María E. Ramos-Cassellis and Heriberto Hernández-Cocoletzi
Foods 2024, 13(7), 1001; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13071001 - 25 Mar 2024
Viewed by 294
Abstract
Bioactive compounds from medicinal plants have applications in the development of functional foods. However, since they are unstable, encapsulation is used as a conservation alternative. This work aimed to assess the bioactive properties (antioxidant and hypoglycemic) of different extracts, including the infusion, as [...] Read more.
Bioactive compounds from medicinal plants have applications in the development of functional foods. However, since they are unstable, encapsulation is used as a conservation alternative. This work aimed to assess the bioactive properties (antioxidant and hypoglycemic) of different extracts, including the infusion, as well as their spray-dried microencapsulates from Tecoma stans leaves. A factorial design was proposed to determine the best extraction conditions, based on ABTS and DPPH inhibition. Maltodextrin (MD), arabic gum (AG), and a 1:1 blend (MD:AG) were used as encapsulating agents. Moreover, characterization through physicochemical properties, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the best two powders based on the bioactive properties were analyzed. The results showed that the combination of stirring, water, and 5 min provided the highest inhibition to ABTS and DPPH (35.64 ± 1.25 mg Trolox/g d.s. and 2.77 ± 0.01 g Trolox/g d.s., respectively). Spray drying decreased the antioxidant activity of the extract while preserving it in the infusion. The encapsulated infusion with MD:AG had the highest hypoglycemic activity as it presented the lowest glycemic index (GI = 47). According to the results, the microencapsulates could potentially be added in foods to enhance nutritional quality and prevent/treat ailments. Full article
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12 pages, 3898 KiB  
Article
Lipid-Lowering and Antioxidant Effects of Self-Assembled Astaxanthin–Anthocyanin Nanoparticles on High-Fat Caenorhabditis elegans
by Deyang Yu, Meng Guo, Mingqian Tan and Wentao Su
Foods 2024, 13(4), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13040514 - 07 Feb 2024
Viewed by 827
Abstract
Obesity has become a serious global public health risk threatening millions of people. In this study, the astaxanthin–anthocyanin nanoparticles (AXT-ACN NPs) were used to investigate their effects on the lipid accumulation and antioxidative capacity of the high-sugar-diet-induced high-fat Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans [...] Read more.
Obesity has become a serious global public health risk threatening millions of people. In this study, the astaxanthin–anthocyanin nanoparticles (AXT-ACN NPs) were used to investigate their effects on the lipid accumulation and antioxidative capacity of the high-sugar-diet-induced high-fat Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). It can be found that the lifespan, motility, and reproductive capacity of the high-fat C. elegans were significantly decreased compared to the normal nematodes in the control group. However, treatment of high-fat C. elegans with AXT-ACN NPs resulted in a prolonged lifespan of 35 days, improved motility, and a 22.06% increase in total spawn production of the nematodes. Furthermore, AXT-ACN NPs were found to effectively extend the lifespan of high-fat C. elegans under heat and oxidative stress conditions. Oil-red O staining results also demonstrated that AXT-ACN NPs have a remarkable effect on reducing the fat accumulation in nematodes, compared with pure astaxanthin and anthocyanin nanoparticles. Additionally, AXT-ACN NPs can significantly decrease the accumulation of lipofuscin and the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The activities of antioxidant-related enzymes in nematodes were further measured, which revealed that the AXT-ACN NPs could increase the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxidase dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and decrease the malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The astaxanthin and anthocyanin in AXT-ACN NPs showed sound synergistic antioxidation and lipid-lowering effects, making them potential components in functional foods. Full article
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15 pages, 1237 KiB  
Article
Microencapsulation of Laurus nobilis L. Leaf Extract in Alginate-Based System via Electrostatic Extrusion
by Erika Dobroslavić, Zoran Zorić, Verica Dragović-Uzelac and Ivona Elez Garofulić
Foods 2023, 12(17), 3242; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12173242 - 28 Aug 2023
Viewed by 751
Abstract
Bay leaves (L. nobilis L.) are a rich source of polyphenols that hold great potential for application in functional food products in which where the main challenges are the polyphenols’ low stability and bioaccessibility, which can be overcome through different microencapsulation techniques, [...] Read more.
Bay leaves (L. nobilis L.) are a rich source of polyphenols that hold great potential for application in functional food products in which where the main challenges are the polyphenols’ low stability and bioaccessibility, which can be overcome through different microencapsulation techniques, such as electrostatic extrusion, which hasn’t been applied for the encapsulation of bay leaf polyphenols (BLP) to date. Therefore, the main goal of this research was to evaluate the potential of this technique through monitoring the polyphenolic content, antioxidant activity, release kinetics, and bioaccessibility of the encapsulated BLP. The results showed that electrostatic extrusion was suitable for the encapsulation of BLP, where 1% alginate and 1.5% CaCl2 with 0.5% chitosan resulted in the highest encapsulation efficiency (92.76%) and antioxidant activity in vitro. The use of 1.5% or 2% alginate with 5% CaCl2 + 0.5% chitosan showed the most controlled release of polyphenols, while encapsulation generally increased the bioaccessibility of BLP. The results showed that electrostatic extrusion can be considered an efficient technique for the microencapsulation of BLP. Full article
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19 pages, 3400 KiB  
Article
Microencapsulation of Betaxanthin Pigments from Pitahaya (Hylocereus megalanthus) By-Products: Characterization, Food Application, Stability, and In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion
by María Carolina Otálora, Andrea Wilches-Torres and Jovanny A. Gómez Castaño
Foods 2023, 12(14), 2700; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12142700 - 14 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1642
Abstract
The yellow pitahaya peels generated as by-products during the consumption and processing of the fresh fruit are a rich and underutilized source of betaxanthins (natural yellow-orange pigment with antioxidant activity) and mucilage (structuring material used in the spray-drying process), molecules of high interest [...] Read more.
The yellow pitahaya peels generated as by-products during the consumption and processing of the fresh fruit are a rich and underutilized source of betaxanthins (natural yellow-orange pigment with antioxidant activity) and mucilage (structuring material used in the spray-drying process), molecules of high interest for the food industry. In this work, the betaxanthin-rich extract (BRE) obtained from this by-product was microencapsulated by spray drying (SD) using pitahaya peel mucilage (MPP) and maltodextrin (MD) as wall materials. Both types of microencapsulates (i.e., SD-MPP and SD-MD) retained high betaxanthin content (as measured by UV-vis) and antioxidant activity (ORAC). These microencapsulates were characterized structurally (FTIR and zeta potential), morphologically (SEM and particle size/polydispersity index), and thermally (DSC/TGA). The powdered microencapsulates were incorporated into the formulation of candy gummies as a food model, which were subjected to an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process. The characterization study (FTIR and antioxidant activity) of the microcapsules showed that the fruit peel mucilage favors the retention of betaxanthins, while the SEM analysis revealed a particle size of multimodal distribution and heterogeneous morphology. The addition of SD-MPP microcapsules in the candy gummy formulation favored the total dietary fiber content as well as the gumminess and chewiness of the food matrix; however, the inhibition of AAPH (%) was affected. The stability of the yellow color in the gummies after 30 days of storage indicates its suitability for storage. Consequently, the microencapsulation of betaxanthins with pitahaya peel mucilage can be used as a food additive colorant in the food industry, replacing synthetic colorants, to develop products with beneficial qualities for health that can satisfy the growing demand of consumers. Full article
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