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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Stabilization and release are two key aspects in the field of bioactive compounds. In most cases, they require being protected from external factors until they are delivered to fulfill their functional role. Microencapsulation is receiving an increasing amount of interest since it has been proven to be an excellent way for stabilization and controlled release of bioactive compounds. In the microencapsulation process, particles or droplets of a compound are surrounded by a coating or embedded in a homogeneous or heterogeneous matrix. This provides a physical barrier between the microencapsulated compounds and the environment, and for that, different techniques and materials can be used. Additionally, microencapsulation reaches the inclusion of the bioactive compounds in different food matrixes, preventing a negative effect on the sensory profile of the product, the controlled release of bioactive compounds, and the enhancement of the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of the microencapsulated compounds, due to targeted and triggered release in the gastrointestinal tract of consumers. It is also worth mentioning that application of microencapsulation methodology allows the production of a powder which is easier to handle and store than the non-encapsulated product. Thus, microencapsulation may be widely applied in the food industry.

Dr. Trinidad Perez Palacios
Prof. Dr. Teresa Antequera
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Bioactive compounds
Stabilization
Release
Encapsulation
Bioaccessibility
Bioavailability
Addition to food
Food enrichment

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1560 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation of Curcumin Hydrogel Beads for the Development of Functional Kulfi: A Tailoring Delivery System

by Minaxi Sharma, Baskaran Stephen Inbaraj, Praveen Kumar Dikkala, Kandi Sridhar, Arjun Naik Mude and Kairam Narsaiah

Foods 2022, 11(2), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11020182 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2831

Abstract

Curcumin has been demonstrated to have biological activities and its fortification in food products is an important strategy to deliver bioactive ingredients at target sites. However, studies have documented a curcumin low bioavailability and low intake. Hence, combining functional ingredients with food should be needed to prevent widespread nutrient intake shortfalls and associated deficiencies. Thus, curcumin was encapsulated in calcium-alginate and their characteristics as well as in vitro release behavior of curcumin hydrogel beads (CHBs) was studied. Moreover, CHBs were fortified in development of functional Kulfi and their quality characteristics were studied. The encapsulation efficiency was up to 95.04%, indicating that most of the curcumin was entrapped. FTIR shifts in the bands were due to the replacement of sodium ions to the calcium ions. In vitro release (%) for CHBs was found to be 67.15% after 2 h, which increased slightly up to 67.88% after 4 h. The average swelling index of CHBs was found to be 10.21 to 37.92 from 2 to 12 h in PBS (pH 7.40). Control and Kulfi fortified with CHBs showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) in colour (L = 73.03 and 75.88) and the melting rate (0.88 mL/min and 0.63 mL/min), respectively. Standard plate count was reduced in the Kulfi fortified with CHBs (13.77 × 10⁴ CFU/mL) with high sensory score for overall acceptability (8.56) compared to the control (154.70 × 10⁴ CFU/mL). These findings suggested the feasibility of developing CHBs to mask the bitterness, enhance the solubility, and increase the bioavailability in gastrointestinal conditions. Additionally, Kulfi could be a suitable dairy delivery system for curcumin bioactive compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stabilization, Microencapsulation and Delivery of Bioactive Compounds)

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Review

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18 pages, 1751 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Progress in Microencapsulation of Active Peptides—Wall Material, Preparation, and Application: A Review

by Mengjie Li, Quanyou Guo, Yichen Lin, Hairong Bao and Song Miao

Foods 2023, 12(4), 896; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040896 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3334

Abstract

Being a natural active substance with a wide variety of sources, easy access, significant curative effect, and high safety, active peptides have gradually become one of the new research directions in food, medicine, agriculture, and other fields in recent years. The technology associated with active peptides is constantly evolving. There are obvious difficulties in the preservation, delivery, and slow release of exposed peptides. Microencapsulation technology can effectively solve these difficulties and improve the utilization rate of active peptides. In this paper, the commonly used materials for embedding active peptides (natural polymer materials, modified polymer materials, and synthetic polymer materials) and embedding technologies are reviewed, with emphasis on four new technologies (microfluidics, microjets, layer-by-layer self-assembly, and yeast cells). Compared with natural materials, modified materials and synthetic polymer materials show higher embedding rates and mechanical strength. The new technology improves the preparation efficiency and embedding rate of microencapsulated peptides and makes the microencapsulated particle size tend to be controllable. In addition, the current application of peptide microcapsules in different fields was also introduced. Selecting active peptides with different functions, using appropriate materials and efficient preparation technology to achieve targeted delivery and slow release of active peptides in the application system, will become the focus of future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Stabilization, Microencapsulation and Delivery of Bioactive Compounds)

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