Review: Milk Proteins as Nanocarrier Systems for Hydrophobic Nutraceuticals

Milk proteins and milk protein aggregates are among the most important nanovehicles in food technology. Milk proteins have various functional properties that facilitate their ability to carry hydrophobic nutraceutical substances. The main functional transport properties that were examined in the reviewed studies are binding of molecules or ions, surface activity, aggregation, gelation, and interaction with other polymers. Hydrophobic binding has been investigated using caseins and isolated β‐casein as well as whey proteins. Surface activity of caseins has been used to create emulsion‐based carrier systems. Furthermore, caseins are able to self‐assemble into micelles, which can incorporate molecules. Gelation and interaction with other polymers can be used to encapsulate molecules into protein networks. The release of transported substances mainly depends on pH and swelling behavior of the proteins. The targeted use of nanocarrier systems requires specific knowledge about the binding mechanisms between the proteins and the carried substances in a certain food matrix.     

Therapeutic and Nutraceutical Potential of Bioactive Compounds Extracted from Fruit Residues

The growing interest in the substitution of synthetic food antioxidants by natural ones has fostered research in identifying new low-cost antioxidants having commercial potential. Fruits such as mango, banana, and those belonging to the citrus family leave behind a substantial amount of residues in the form of peels, pulp, seeds, and stones. Due to lack of infrastructure to handle a huge quantity of available biomass, lack of processing facilities, and high processing cost, these residues represent a major disposal problem, especially in developing countries. Because of the presence of phenolic compounds, which impart nutraceutical properties to fruit residues, such residues hold tremendous potential in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. The biological properties such as anticarcinogenicity, antimutagenicity, antiallergenicity, and antiageing activity have been reported for both natural as well as synthetic antioxidants. Special attention is focused on extraction of bioactive compounds from inexpensive or residual sources. The purpose of this review is to characterize different phenolics present in the fruit residues, discuss the antioxidant potential of such residues and the assays used in determination of antioxidant properties, discuss various methods for efficient extraction of the bioactive compounds, and highlight the importance of fruit residues as potential nutraceutical resources and biopreservatives.     

Nutraceutical Potential of Seaweed Polysaccharides: Structure,Bioactivity, Safety,and Toxicity

In recent years, marine organisms including seaweeds have been highlighted as potential sources of useful metabolites and bioactive compounds, with vast biological and physiological activities. Seaweeds have long been used as a food source, for medicinal purposes, and as dietary supplements in various Asian countries, and their potential benefits have recently attracted the attention of many Western and European countries. Their commercial value depends on their applications in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. Seaweeds are considered a potential source of nutraceuticals or functional foods, and analysis of taste‐oriented motives has revealed that seaweeds are preferentially selected over other types of marine foods by seafood consumers and people with high levels of health, education, and living status. It is a general perception that health conscious people prefer environmentally friendly food sources, and present an opportunity to focus on seaweed‐based foods, which have significant nutritional benefits to humans. Among the various bioactive constituents, seaweed polysaccharides have been proven to possess various beneficial properties including anticoagulant, anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and antiviral activities. The diversity and composition of seaweed polysaccharides play vital roles in these biological activities. Seaweeds are a rich source of sulfated polysaccharides, which are responsible for much of the bioactivity, as they can interact with various textures and cellular proteins. A number of toxicological assays and clinical trials suggest that the ingestion of seaweeds as functional foods should be considered worldwide to improve immune responses. In this review, different polysaccharides from seaweeds and their compositions and potential nutraceutical applications are discussed.     

Spray Drying for the Production of Nutraceutical Ingredients—A Review

Contributions of spray drying to food processing applications are increasing as compared to other conventional drying methods. Spray drying has not only contributed in drying of fluids but also has played a vital role in encapsulation and microencapsulation of valuable foods and functional–nutraceutical ingredients. Microencapsulation by spray drying is a cost-effective one-step process as compared to other encapsulation methods. Encapsulation using spray drying is mainly used in the food sector to protect bioactive compounds or functional foods from light, temperature, oxidation, etc. This paper reviews the work done in past years in the functional food and nutraceutical sector using spray drying. The paper focuses on the role of spray drying in vitamins, minerals, flavouring substances, antioxidant compounds and fatty acids encapsulation.     

Hempseed as a nutritious and healthy human food or animal feed source: a review

Hempseed products are projected to receive great potentials due to the rapid growth in the US market. Industrial hemp has been an important crop for food, fibre and medicine applications. Hempseed products can be used as nutraceutical supplements and functional foods for human and can be applied for animal feed. This review provides a comprehensive summary of nutritional quality and health benefits of hempseed which is attributed to high levels of essential fatty acids and other PUFAs in the oil, with a rich source of essential amino acids in highly digestible protein. This review examines the impact of extraction methods on oil yield and bioactive compounds, nutrition value, and food application of hemp protein-extracted products, including meal, protein isolate and protein concentrate. Recent research related to the understanding chemical composition, nutritional value, health benefits, processing impact, functional properties of hempseed products, and their application for food and feed is presented.     

Advancements in liposome technology: Preparation techniques and applications in food,functional foods,and bioactive delivery: A review

Liposomes play a significant role in encapsulation of various bioactive compounds (BACs), including functional food ingredients to improve the stability of core. This technology can be used for promoting an effective application in functional food and nutraceuticals. Incorporation of traditional and emerging methods for the developments of liposome for loading BACs resulted in viable and stable liposome formulations for industrial applications. Thus, the advance technologies such as supercritical fluidic methods, microfluidization, ultrasonication with traditional methods are revisited. Liposomes loaded with plant and animal BACs have been introduced for functional food and nutraceutical applications. In general, application of liposome systems improves stability, delivery, and bioavailability of BACs in functional food systems and nutraceuticals. This review covers the current techniques and methodologies developed and practiced in liposomal preparation and application in functional foods.     

Functional and Biological Properties of Peptides Obtained by Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Whey Proteins

The study of peptides released by enzymatic hydrolysis of whey proteins has been initially focusing on improving their functional properties in food model systems. Our first study showed that peptides 41 to 60 and 21 to 40 from β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) were responsible for improved emulsifying properties of a tryptic hydrolysate of whey protein concentrate (WPC). Further work showed that adding negatively charged peptides from tryptic hydrolysates of WPC could prevent phase separation of dairy-based concentrated liquid infant formula, as a replacement for carrageenan. Hydrolysis of whey proteins using a bacterial enzyme was also successful in improving heat stability of whey proteins in an acidic beverage. Some tryptic peptides demonstrated improvement in the heat stability and in modifying thermal aggregation of whey proteins. Recent research has shown that whey peptides could trigger some physiological functions. Within the scope of this research our work has led to the development of a whey protein enzymatic hydrolysate that has demonstrated antihypertensive properties when orally administered to spontaneously hypertensive rats and human subjects. Our work then focused on the fractionation of hydrolysates by nanofiltration to prepare specific peptidic fractions; however, peptide/peptide and peptide/protein interactions impaired membrane selectivity. The study of those interactions has lead to the demonstration of the occurrence of interactions between β-LG and its hydrophobic fragment 102–105 (opioid peptide), which probably binds in the central cavity of the protein. This latest result suggests that β-LG could be used as a carrier for the protection of bioactive peptides from gastric digestion. Our work therefore has shown that the enzymatic hydrolysis of whey proteins is not only improving their functional properties, but it is also providing powerful technology in the exploitation of their biological properties for functional foods and nutraceutical applications.     

Bioactive Peptides and Hydrolysates from Pulses and Their Potential Use as Functional Ingredients

Bioactive peptides (BPs) are amino acid sequences derived from food proteins. Their relevance lies in the biological activities they have once they are released from the parent protein. BPs or protein hydrolysates can be commercialized as nutraceutical products or functional ingredients according to their activities. Different food protein sources have been researched for their potential to generate BPs. However, with the exception of lunasin (derived from soy), animal protein sources have been predominantly exploited as commercial BPs sources. On the other hand, pulses have shown diverse BP contents without further impact on their commercialization. Pulses are a rich source of protein in the human diet and their consumption has been associated with the prevention of chronic diseases. The beneficial effect in human health has been related to their micronutrients, phytochemical bioactive compounds, and recently BPs. This article reviews the current literature about pulse protein hydrolysates and BPs with proved angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory, antioxidant, cancer preventing, and other health promoting activities. Proteolysis process is commonly achieved by digestive and microorganism enzymes. BP purification and identification has consisted mainly on size segregation procedures followed by mass spectrometry techniques. Hydrolysis time, peptide size, and hydrophobicity are employed as process variants and structural features relevant for the BP activities. Finally, some considerations about industrial processing and BPs used as functional food ingredients were reviewed.     

Design of whey protein nanostructures for incorporation and release of nutraceutical compounds in food

Whey proteins are widely used as nutritional and functional ingredients in formulated foods because they are relatively inexpensive, generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredient, and possess important biological, physical, and chemical functionalities. Denaturation and aggregation behavior of these proteins is of particular relevance toward manufacture of novel nanostructures with a number of potential uses. When these processes are properly engineered and controlled, whey proteins may be formed into nanohydrogels, nanofibrils, or nanotubes and be used as carrier of bioactive compounds. This review intends to discuss the latest understandings of nanoscale phenomena of whey protein denaturation and aggregation that may contribute for the design of protein nanostructures. Whey protein aggregation and gelation pathways under different processing and environmental conditions such as microwave heating, high voltage, and moderate electrical fields, high pressure, temperature, pH, and ionic strength were critically assessed. Moreover, several potential applications of nanohydrogels, nanofibrils, and nanotubes for controlled release of nutraceutical compounds (e.g. probiotics, vitamins, antioxidants, and peptides) were also included. Controlling the size of protein networks at nanoscale through application of different processing and environmental conditions can open perspectives for development of nanostructures with new or improved functionalities for incorporation and release of nutraceuticals in food matrices.     

Nanoliposomes,from food industry to nutraceuticals: Interests and uses

Nanoliposomes are a form of vector used both in the pharmaceutical and food industries. In food industry, these lipid nanostructures are incorporated during the manufacturing process of food products, primarily to improve texture, flavors and for food preservation. Because of their natural lipid composition, and their ability to encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds, nanoliposomes represent an interesting form of carrier for bioactive molecules. Encapsulation in these lipid-based vectors of molecules known for their beneficial effects on certain organs or tissues can be envisaged in nutraceutical applications to create functional foods designed for disease prevention. To achieve this objective, however, it is necessary to control certain parameters during preparation and storage of nanoliposomes to ensure optimal digestibility and bioavailability. Indeed, challenges still exist to ensure the stability of nanoliposomes during storage, as well as following ingestion. Many preparation techniques are available, but the oxidative nature of lipids and their phase transition temperature all affect the stability of nanoliposomes. These issues and the feasibility for use of nanoliposomes in industrial applications for nutraceuticals, as well as the importance of establishing product specifications and the claims for using nanoliposomes in nutraceuticals are discussed in this review. Finally, although industrial scale-up raises questions of quality control and reproducibility, investigations nevertheless suggest a promising future for the use of these lipid nanostructures in nutraceutical applications.     

Food‐Grade Covalent Complexes and Their Application as Nutraceutical Delivery Systems: A Review

Food proteins, polysaccharides, and polyphenols are 3 major food constituents with distinctly different functional attributes. Many proteins and polysaccharides are capable of stabilizing emulsions and foams, thickening solutions, and forming gels, although they differ considerably in their abilities to provide these functional attributes. Many plant polyphenols exhibit beneficial physiological functions, such as antitumor, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Proteins, polysaccharides, and polyphenols can form complexes with each other, which leads to changes in the functional and nutritional properties of the combined systems. Recently, there has been considerable interest in understanding and utilizing covalent interactions between polyphenols and biopolymers (proteins and polysaccharides). The binary or tertiary conjugates formed may be designed to have physicochemical properties and functional attributes that cannot be achieved using the individual components. This article provides a review of the formation, characterization, and utilization of conjugates prepared using proteins, polysaccharides, and polyphenols. It also discusses the relationship between the structural properties and functionality of the conjugates, and it highlights the bioavailability of bioactive compounds loaded in conjugate‐based delivery systems. In addition, it highlights the main challenges to be considered when preparing and analyzing conjugates. This article provides an improved understanding of the chemical reactions that occur between major food ingredients and how they can be utilized to develop biopolymer‐based delivery systems with enhanced functional attributes.     

Alginate-based delivery systems for food bioactive ingredients: An overview of recent advances and future trends

Due to its advantagessuch as ionic crosslinking, pH responsiveness, excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and low price, alginate has become one of the most important natural polysaccharides extensively used in constructing desired delivery systems for food bioactive ingredients. In this review, the fundamental knowledge of alginate as a building block for construction of nutraceutical delivery systems is introduced. Then, various types of alginate-based nutraceutical delivery systems are classified and summarized. Furthermore, the future trends of alginate-based delivery systems are highlighted. Currently, alginate-based delivery systems include hydrogel, emulsion, emulsion-filled alginate hydrogel, nanoparticle, microparticle, core–shell particle, liposome, edible film, and aerogel. Although alginate has been widely used in the fabrication of food bioactive ingredient delivery systems, further efforts and improvements are still needed. For this purpose, the future perspectives of alginate-based delivery systems are discussed. The feasible research trends of alginate-based delivery systems include the development of novel large-scale commercial preparation technology, multifunctional delivery system based on alginate, alginate oligosaccharide-based delivery system and alginate-based oleogel. Overall, the objective of this review is to provide useful guidance for rational design and application of alginate-based nutraceutical delivery systems in the future.     

Advances in smart delivery of food bioactive compounds using stimuli-responsive carriers: Responsive mechanism,contemporary challenges,and prospects

Many important food bioactive compounds are plant secondary metabolites that have traditional applications for health promotion and disease prevention. However, the chemical instability and poor bioavailability of these compounds represent major challenges to researchers. In the last decade, therefore, major impetus has been given for the research and development of advanced carrier systems for the delivery of natural bioactive molecules. Among them, stimuli-responsive carriers hold great promise for simultaneously improving stability, bioavailability, and more importantly delivery and on-demand release of intact bioactive phytochemicals to target sites in response to certain stimuli or combination of them (e.g., pH, temperature, oxidant, enzyme, and irradiation) that would eventually enhance therapeutic outcomes and reduce side effects. Hybrid formulations (e.g., inorganic–organic complexes) and multi-stimuli-responsive formulations have demonstrated great potential for future studies. Therefore, this review systematically compiles and assesses the recent advances on the smart delivery of food bioactive compounds, particularly quercetin, curcumin, and resveratrol through stimuli-responsive carriers, and critically reviews their functionality, underlying triggered-release mechanism, and therapeutic potential. Finally, major limitations, contemporary challenges, and possible solutions/future research directions are highlighted. Much more research is needed to optimize the processing parameters of existing formulations and to develop novel ones for lead food bioactive compounds to facilitate their food and nutraceutical applications.     

静电纺丝技术包埋天然酚类化合物研究进展

天然酚类化合物因其对人体健康具有众多益处,近年来在食品、营养学和医药等领域得到了广泛的关注。然而,酚类化合物较差的溶解性、稳定性和生物利用度等严重地限制了其应用。如何有效地保护和运载这些酚类化合物并保持其生物活性成为研究的热点问题。静电纺丝是一种易于操作且成本低廉的纳米级纤维制备技术,所制备的纳米纤维可作为纳米载体对生物活性物质进行包埋和控制释放,因此可作为包埋酚类化合物的一种有效方法。本文概述了静电纺丝技术的基本原理、类型、影响参数、常用的聚合物基质和优势,对静电纺丝技术包埋天然酚类化合物的相关研究进行了综述,最后展望了其在食品工业的应用前景,以期为静电纺丝技术在食品领域应用提供一定的理论指导。     

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

BackgroundLactoferrin (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 complexes, nanoparticles, hydrogels and emulsions, to encapsulate, protect and deliver bioactive compounds is gaining increasing attention.Scope and approachThis 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 LF as a functional ingredient.Key findings and conclusionsFunctional 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. LF can also be utilized to fabricate emulsions, nanoparticles, or microgels to improve the stability and bioaccessibility of bioactive components. However, there are still a number of challenges associated with optimizing the performance of LF-based delivery systems so that they can be used in commercial applications.     

Protein glycosylation: a promising way to modify the functional properties and extend the application in food system

Abstract

Modification of functional properties by glycosylating with polysaccharides is an effective solution to improve the internal disadvantages of native proteins. Generally, protein glycosylation belongs to the first stage of the Maillard reaction in essence. Dry-heating, wet-heating, and their combination are the major methods for the preparation of protein-polysaccharide conjugates (PPC). Spectrophotometry, spectroscopy, electrophoresis, calorimetry, chromatography, and mass spectrometry are confirmed to be the most effective methods for the identification of PPC. After glycosylation, functionalities of the native protein, including solubility, rheological properties, emulsifying properties, foaming properties, gel property, film-forming properties, thermal stability, antioxidant activity, allergenicity, and antibacterial properties, are improved. The PPC is extensively used as an encapsulation or a delivering material in order to improve the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds in food system. Some new applications in food processing could be explored using PPC as an ingredient based on the improved functional properties, such as 3-dimensional printing food, gelled food, and colloid food. Furthermore, the model of protein glycosylation and the application of PPC in food processing could be extended to other protein modification to broaden the exploitation of native protein resource for the processing of novel foods.     

Prophylactic components of buckwheat

Buckwheat has been grown for centuries and now it is one of the most important alternative crops and a valuable raw material for functional food production. Many nutraceutical compounds exist in buckwheat seeds and other tissues. It is a rich source of starch and contains many valuable compounds, such as proteins, antioxidative substances, trace elements and dietary fibre. Buckwheat proteins have unique amino acids composition with special biological activities. Besides high-quality proteins, buckwheat seed contain several components with healing benefits: flavonoids and flavones, phytosterols, fagopyrins and thiamin-binding proteins. The allergenic proteins and their derivatives are also present in the buckwheat seeds. For the food industry, the most attractive trend is development of new functional foods, but production of health benefit products has also perspective. In this review we focus on knowledge of protein composition and the other prophylactic compounds of buckwheat products.     

Physical effects upon whey protein aggregation for nano-coating production

Production of edible nanostructures constitutes a major challenge in food nanotechnology, and has attracted a great deal of interest from several research fields — including (but not limited to) food packaging. Furthermore, whey proteins are increasingly used as nutritional and functional ingredients owing to their important biological, physical and chemical functionalities. Besides their technological and functional characteristics, whey proteins are generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Denaturation and aggregation kinetics behavior of such proteins are of particular relevance toward manufacture of novel nanostructures possessing a number of potential uses. When these processes are properly engineered and controlled, whey proteins may form nanostructures useful as carriers of bioactive compounds (e.g. antimicrobials, antioxidants and nutraceuticals). This review discusses the latest advances in nano-scale phenomena involved in protein thermal aggregation aiming at formation of bio-based nano-coating networks. The extent of aggregation is dependent upon a balance between molecular interactions and environmental factors; therefore, the impact of these conditions is addressed in a critical manner. A particular emphasis is given to the effect of temperature as long as being one of the most critical variables. The application of moderate electric fields (MEF), an emergent approach, as such or combined with conventional heating is considered as it may inhibit/prevent excessive denaturation and aggregation of whey proteins — thus opening new perspectives for development of innovative protein nanostructures (i.e. nano-coatings). A better understanding of the mechanism(s) involved in whey protein denaturation and aggregation is crucial as it conveys information relevant to select methods for manipulating interactions between molecules, and thus control their functional properties in tailor-made applications in the food industry.     

Food protein functionality: A comprehensive approach

Food protein functionality has classically been viewed from the perspective of how single molecules or protein ingredients function in solutions and form simple colloidal structures. Based on this approach, tests on protein solutions are used to produce values for solubility, thermal stability, gelation, emulsifying, foaming, fat binding and water binding to name a few. While this approach is beneficial in understanding the properties of specific proteins and ingredients, it is somewhat restricted in predicting performance in real foods where the complexities of ingredients and processing operations have a significant affect on the colloidal structures and therefore overall properties of the final food product. In addition, focusing on proteins as just biopolymers used to create food structures ignores the biological functions of proteins in the diet. These can be beneficial, as in providing amino acids for protein synthesis or bioactive peptides, or these can be detrimental, as in causing a food allergic response. This review will focus on integrating the colloidal/polymer and biological aspects of protein functionality. This will be done using foams and gels to illustrate colloidal/polymer aspects and bioactive peptides and allergenicity to demonstrate biological function.