Novel OSA‐Modified Starch from Gros Michel Banana for Encapsulation of Andean Blackberry Concentrate: Production and Storage Stability

Starches in the encapsulation of plant active ingredients: state of the art and research trends

As a natural polymer, starches and their derivatives have received widespread attention in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, particularly for their use as a coating material. In this sense, as an encapsulating agent, starches stand out, considering the number of compounds that they can trap. Additionally, they provide a nutritional contribution and may improve acceptance by patients. As such, this type of material may serve as an alternative to overcome gaps such as loss of activity of the active principles, low assimilation, or deterioration under environmental and physiological conditions. In this paper, we aim to present the state of the art and research trends on the use of starch as a wall material for the encapsulation of active principles of plant origin. It was found that the most-encapsulated active principles are essential oils and polyphenols; native or modified starches are typically used, either as the sole wall material or in combination with other polymers; and the most widely used methodology is spray drying. The reviewed studies indicate the potential of starches for their use in active ingredient encapsulation processes, improving their viability and expanding their range of applications in different industries, as well as showing a clearly increasing publication trend over the last 10 years.

Graphical abstract

The Properties, Modification, and Application of Banana Starch

Banana is a tropical fruit crop that is consumed at large, not only because of the quantity produced but also because it serves the calorific needs of millions of people. Banana is a potential source of high starch content (more than 60%). The application of starch for various purposes is dependent upon its structural, physicochemical, and functional properties. A native starch does not possess all required properties for specific use in the food product. To improve its application, starch can be modified physically, chemically, and enzymatically. Each of these modification methods provides different characteristics to the modified starch. This review aims to examine the chemical composition, granule morphology, crystallinity, pasting, thermal properties, and digestibility of banana starch, and discusses the various modifications and potential applications of banana starch in the food industry.

Technological Applications of Natural Colorants in Food Systems: A Review

Natural colorants have emerged as an alternative to their synthetic counterparts due to an existing health concern of these later. Moreover, natural-food colorants are a renewable option providing health benefits and interesting technological and sensory attributes to the food systems containing them. Several sources of natural colorants have been explored aiming to deliver the required wide color range demanded by consumers. This review aimed to compare and discuss the technological applications of the main natural-food colorants into food system in the last six years, giving additional information about their extraction process. Although natural colorants are promising choices to replace synthetic ones, optimization of processing conditions, research on new sources, and new formulations to ensure stability are required to equate their properties to their synthetic counterparts.