Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science - An open access, peer reviewed international journal covering all aspects of Nutrition and Food Science

Nanotechnology-based Delivery Systems for Enhanced Bioavailability of Antioxidant Compounds in Fruits and Vegetables

Muhammad Farrukh Nisar^1,2and Chunpeng Wan^1*

¹ Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Postharvest Technology and Nondestructive Testing of Fruits and Vegetables, College of Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China.

²Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CUVAS), Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Corresponding Author E-mail: chunpengwan@jxau.edu.cn

Recent increase in the onset of diseases is evidenced because of poor quality of foods and lifestyle. Food-borne natural bioactive compounds including polyphenols, sterols, short chain or polyunsaturated fatty acids, numerous minerals, terpenes, short active peptides, and numerous phytochemicals are known to effectively cure chronic, or metabolism-associated diseases like cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular issues. Many of the nutrients showed lower bioavailability i.e., molecules are not easily absorbed to take part in certain physiological activities in the cell, may have chemically unstable structures under oxidoreductase cellular environments and unwanted flavors make a serious challenge for these bioactive compounds. Enhancing the bioavailability of natural antioxidants may improve the nutritional levels to increase the standard of life. Enhancing the bioavailability of natural bioactive compounds or antioxidants at targeted sites is made possible by utilizing nano-based delivery systems called nanotechnology. Furthermore, the addition of pharmacologically active nutrients may help reduce metabolic disorders. The current review article aimed to highlight the importance and classify the ever-increasing application of nanotechnology for enhancing the bioavailability of natural antioxidants by amalgamating them into food science and miniaturizing them for targeted delivery systems. Prominent features of various techniques for natural antioxidants bioavailability enhancement, stabilizing their structural organization and application in functional foods shall also be discussed. The discussion led us to conclude that food-grade nano formulations involving different fabrication methods, lipid-based preparations, naturally occurring nanoparticles (NPs) and biopolymers showed higher efficacy with no toxicity after incorporating into nano-delivery systems. The enhancement in nutrient bioavailability will improve overall health and could be a potential zone of future research.

Antioxidants; Bioactive compounds; Bioavailability; Functional foods; Nanoparticles; Nano-formulations; Nanotechnology

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