Application of nanoemulsions for encapsulation of bioactive compounds: Enrichment and shelf life extension of food

These days, consumers' concerns about the toxic and carcinogenic effects of artificial additives and their desire for healthy foods encourage manufacturers to use natural, healthy additives and produce functional foods. In fact, the most common way to develop functional foods is to enrich food products with bioactive compounds during production. Many bioactive compounds contain antioxidant, antimicrobial, flavoring, coloring, nourishing and therapeutic properties that are widely used in the food industry. Bioactive compounds have many health benefits, but their many disadvantages, including high organoleptic effect due to the bitterness and spicy taste of some compounds, low solubility, stability and bioavailability, limit their use in food and on the other hand Many of these compounds are sensitive to heat and are lost during food processing. Therefore, to overcome these challenges and improve the performance and high bioavailability of natural bioactive compounds, researchers have proposed their encapsulation as a suitable solution that this can be classified to micro-encapsulation and nano-encapsulation based on nanoparticles size. Although the current use of nanoemulsions in food products is relatively limited, these colloidal systems have significant potential for application in several fields. Nanoemulsions have long been popular because of their widespread use in drugs, pesticides, cosmetics, food, dyes, and environmental applications. Applications of nanoemulsion systems in the food industry can be attributed to their role in the formulation of foods and beverages with beneficial compounds encapsulated such as coenzyme Q1, lycopene, lutein, beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A , D3, E, phytosterols and isoflavones. Nanoemulsion-based carrier systems must be compatible with the food matrix and have minimal impact on the organoleptic properties of the food, such as taste, appearance, and texture. In general, the encapsulation may promote the protection and sustainable delivery of active compounds in food formulations, improve the stability of these compounds during processing and storage, and may also help control and maintain the release of natural compounds in food matrices, therefore, provides their effect for a longer period of time. In the food industry, nanoemulsions have been studied for the encapsulation, stabilization, and delivery of compounds such as flavorings, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, preservatives, and nutrients. Therefore, this study summarizes the recent advances in the use of nanoemulsions of bioactive compounds as a natural additive in various food products, including oil-based products, dairy products, meat products and juices. According to the results, the application of natural bioactive compounds in the form of nanoemulsions in the formulation of these food products has led to the improvement of antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, bioavailability and sensory and nutritional properties of fortified foods.