Design and use of lipid-based systems for food component encapsulation

In Chapter 6, our colleagues have reviewed the latest advances in the use of microcarriers for food component encapsulation. In this chapter, we will direct our discussions to the use of carriers generated from lipids. Lipid-based carriers, in fact, enable the delivery of a wide variety of food components. Lipid-based encapsulation has proven to be a good alternative and remarkable approach for delivering bioactive compounds, with high chemical, physical stability, higher bioavailability, and prolonged release. The ability to protect embedded food ingredients from external influences could also extend shelf life, which has immediate advantages for the food industry and tends to minimize food waste. To date, a number of lipid-based carriers have been developed, to address a variety of difficulties in the food industry and assist in the creation of higher-quality foods with greater health benefits. Nanoemulsions, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, lipid nanospheres, lipid nanotubes, and nanostructured lipid carriers are some of the lipid-based systems utilized to transport food components. Encapsulation of vitamins, minerals, food ingredients, macronutrients, antioxidants, phenolic compounds, prebiotics, probiotics, food colorants, antimicrobial agents, and enzymes are a few of the possibilities for lipid-based food component encapsulation in the food industry. Lipid-based delivery methods are currently employed in the food industry; however, they must be improved in terms of reproducibility, affordability, and scalability. The primary goal for this field in the future is to produce more affordable, high-quality lipid-based methods for food component encapsulation.