Cocoa butter and cocoa butter substitute as a lipid carrier of Cuminum cyminum L. essential oil; physicochemical properties, physical stability and controlled release study

Walnut protein isolate-epigallocatechin gallate nanoparticles: A functional carrier enhanced stability and antioxidant activity of lycopene

Walnut isolate protein (WPI)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) conjugates can be employed to creat food-grade delivery systems for preserving bioactive compounds. In this study, WPI-EGCG nanoparticles (WENPs) were developed for encapsulating lycopene (LYC) using the ultrasound-assisted method. The results indicated successful loading of LYC into these WENPs, forming the WENPs/LYC (cylinder with 200-300 nm in length and 14.81-30.05 nm in diameter). Encapsulating LYC in WENPs led to a notable decrease in release rate and improved stability in terms of thermal, ultraviolet (UV), and storage conditions compared to free LYC. Simultaneously, WENPs/LYC exhibited a synergistic and significantly higher antioxidant activity with an EC50 value of 23.98 μg/mL in HepG2 cells compared to free LYC's 31.54 μg/mL. Treatment with WENPs/LYC led to a dose-dependent restoration of intracellular antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px) and inhibition of intracellular malondialdehyde (MDA) formation. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis indicated that enrichment in glutathione metabolism and peroxisome processes following WENPs/LYC addition. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) verified the expression levels of related genes involved in the antioxidant resistance pathway of WENPs/LYC on AAPH-induced oxidative stress. This study offers novel perspectives into the antioxidant resistance pathway of WENPs/LYC, holding significant potential in food industry.

Regeneration of Pancreatic Cells Using Optimized Nanoparticles and l-Glutamic Acid-Gelatin Scaffolds with Controlled Topography and Grafted Activin A/BMP4

Regeneration of insulin-producing cells (IPCs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) under controlled conditions has a lot of promise to emulate the pancreatic mechanism in vivo as a foundation of cell-based diabetic therapy. l-Glutamic acid-gelatin scaffolds with orderly pore sizes of 160 and 200 μm were grafted with activin A and bone morphogenic proteins 4 (BMP4) to differentiate iPSCs into definitive endoderm (DE) cells, which were then guided with fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7)-grafted retinoic acid (RA)-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (FR-SLNs) to harvest IPCs. Response surface methodology was adopted to optimize the l-glutamic acid-to-gelatin ratio of scaffolds and to optimize surfactant concentration and lipid proportion in FR-SLNs. Experimental results of immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and western blots revealed that activin A (100 ng/mL)-BMP4 (50 ng/mL)-l-glutamic acid (5%)-gelatin (95%) scaffolds provoked the largest number of SOX17-positive DE cells from iPSCs. Treatment with FGF7 (50 ng/mL)-RA (600 ng/mL)-SLNs elicited the highest number of PDX1-positive β-cells from differentiated DE cells. To imitate the natural pancreas, the scaffolds with controlled topography were appropriate for IPC production with sufficient insulin secretion. Hence, the current scheme using FR-SLNs and activin A-BMP4-l-glutamic acid-gelatin scaffolds in the two-stage differentiation of iPSCs can be promising for replacing impaired β-cells in diabetic management.

Oxidative stability and physicochemical changes of dark chocolates with essential oils addition

This research aimed to evaluate the oxidative stability and rheological properties of dark chocolates with the addition of essential oils (EO) of Cymbopogon citratus, Pimpinella anisum, and Mintostachys mollis. For this purpose, before the inclusion in chocolates, the EO were chemically characterized to identify the most important volatile compounds. We added essential oils of P. anisum, C. citratus and M. mollis to dark chocolates (cocoa 70%) at doses of 10, 12 and 14 μL per 500 g, separately. These chocolates were evaluated for oxidative activity, hardness, microstructure, rheological and melting properties and antioxidant capacity. It was found that C. citratus EO (10 μL/500 g of chocolate) improve the oxidative stability of the chocolates at 90 days of storage at 25 °C (230 meq O₂/kg), while higher concentrations promote lipid oxidation. The incorporation of essential oils improves the antioxidant capacity, likewise, it changes the rheological, thermal, and microstructural properties. Therefore, essential oils can improve the physicochemical characteristics of dark chocolates allowing greater stability in oxidative fat and thus increase the shelf life.

Encapsulation of Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) Seed Essential Oil in the Chickpea Protein-Maltodextrin Matrix

Isoelectrically precipitated chickpea protein isolate (CPI) and its combination with maltodextrin (MD) were investigated for the ability to form and stabilize cumin seed oil emulsions. Solubility, net surface charge, emulsion activity/stability indices, and creaming stability of CPI at a pH of 3.0-9.0 were evaluated. Optimum conditions for minimum cream separation were identified as: 0.19% CPI and 6.83% oil concentrations. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seed essential oil was microencapsulated within the CPI-MD matrix via spray drying. Effects of CPI-MD matrix formulation on the physicochemical characteristics and volatile composition of the microencapsules were investigated. CPI-MD matrices had positive effects on microcapsule properties such as relatively lower surface oil, higher encapsulation efficiency (EE), and oil retention. Approximately 86.6-96.4% oil retention and 90.9-98.4% EE were achieved. Optimum conditions for maximized oil retention (92.9%) and EE (98.6%) were identified as: 2.1% CPI, 14.8% essential oil, and 35% MD. GC-MS analysis of microcapsules was carried out to determine the changes in volatile composition during spray drying. Cymene, α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, terpinene, terpineol, phellandrene, and cumin aldehyde were determined as the major components. Optimized design showed the highest EE and minimal changes in the volatile composition of cumin seed essential oil.

Natural carriers: Recent advances in their use to improve the stability and bioaccessibility of food active compounds

In the last decades, the incorporation of bioactive compounds in food supplements aroused the attention of scientists. However, these ingredients often exhibit both low solubility and stability and their poor bioaccessibility within the gastrointestinal tract limits their effectiveness. To overcome these drawbacks, many carriers have been investigated for encapsulating nutraceuticals and enhancing their bioavailability. It is note that several different vegetable wall materials have been applied to build delivery systems. Considering their encapsulation mechanism, lipid and protein-based carriers display specific interaction patterns with bioactives, whereas polysaccharidic-based carriers can entrap them by creating porous highly stable networks. To maximize the encapsulation efficiency, mixed systems are very promising. Following the current goal of using natural and sustainable ingredients, only a limited number of studies about the isolation of new ingredients from agro-food waste are available. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the state of art in the development of innovative natural lipid-, protein- and polysaccharide-based plant carriers is presented, focusing on their application as food active compounds. Different aspects to be considered in the design of delivery systems are discussed, including the carrier structure and chemical features, the interaction between the encapsulating and the core material, and the parameters affecting bioactives entrapment.

Encapsulated Microstructures of Beneficial Functional Lipids and Their Applications in Foods and Biomedicines

Beneficial functional lipids are essential nutrients for the growth and development of humans and animals, which nevertheless possess poor chemical stability because of heat/light-sensitivity. Various encapsulation technologies have been developed to protect these nutrients against adverse factors. Different microstructures are exhibited through different encapsulation methods, which influence the encapsulation efficiency and release behavior at the same time. This review summarizes the effects of preparation methods and process parameters on the microstructures of capsules at first. The mechanisms of the different microstructures on encapsulation efficiency and controlled release behavior of core materials are analyzed. Next, a comprehensive overview on the beneficial functional lipids capsules in the latest food and biomedicine applications are provided as well as the matching relationship between the microstructures of the capsules and applications are discussed. Finally, the remaining challenges and future possible directions that have potential interest are outlined. The purpose of this review is to convey the construction of beneficial functional lipids capsules and the function mechanism, a critical analysis on its current status and challenges, and opinions on its future development. This review is believed to promote communication among the food, pharmacy, agronomy, engineering, and nutrition industries.

Nanomedicine as an Emerging Technology to Foster Application of Essential Oils to Fight Cancer

Natural prodrugs extracted from plants are increasingly used in many sectors, including the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. Among these prodrugs, essential oils (EOs) are of particular importance. These biologically active volatile oily liquids are produced by medicinal and aromatic plants and characterized by a distinctive odor. EOs possess high anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant potential but often are associated with low stability; high volatility; and a high risk of deterioration with exposure to heat, humidity, light, or oxygen. Furthermore, their bioavailability is limited because they are not soluble in water, and enhancements are needed to increase their potential to target specific cells or tissues, as well as for controlled release. Nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology in medicine, may offer efficient solutions to these problems. The technology is based on creating nanostructures in which the natural prodrug is connected to or encapsulated in nanoparticles or submicron-sized capsules that ensure their solubility in water and their targeting properties, as well as controlled delivery. The potential of EOs as anticancer prodrugs is considerable but not fully exploited. This review focusses on the recent progress towards the practical application of EOs in cancer therapy based on nanotechnology applications.

Progress in nanostructure understanding of edible crystalline fats and their application in nano-delivery systems: Cocoa butter as a model

Nucleation and crystal growth of edible fats at the nanoscale have received little attention due to analytical limitations. A key factor to modify the properties of edible fats is nanostructure understanding. Progress within the last years will be presented, including analytical techniques used to investigate fat crystallization. Cocoa butter has been the subject of several works due to its properties and its high impact on chocolate manufacturing. Moreover, this vegetable fat has been used as the solid lipid component in nano delivery systems. Since nanoplatelet is the smallest unit in crystalline fats, and the nanoscale is influenced by supersaturation, temperature, shear fields, and surfactants, nanostructure engineering is possible. On its part, cocoa butter has been included in innovative delivery systems along the last years. This review will highlight main results and challenges on these topics.

Design of Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Containing Cymbopogon martinii (Palmarosa) Essential Oil against Aspergillus nomius

Palmarosa essential oil (PEO) is an alternative to synthetic fungicides to control the contamination by food-deteriorating fungi, such as Aspergillus nomius. Nonetheless, the low long-term stability and volatility hamper its utilization. Thus, this study aimed to develop nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) containing PEO to improve its stability and consequently prolong the activity against A. nomius. A mixture design was applied to find the best preparation conditions for antifungal activity. The characterization analyses included size measurements, zeta potential (ζ-potential), entrapment efficiency (EE), and antifungal activity (by inhibition of mycelial growth (IMG) and/or in situ test (pre-contaminated Brazil nuts) tests). The nanocarriers presented particle sizes smaller than 300 nm, homogeneous size distribution, ζ-potential of −25.19 to −41.81 mV, and EE between 73.6 and 100%. The formulations F5 and F10 showed the highest IMG value (98.75%). Based on the regression model, three optimized formulations (OFs) were tested for antifungal activity (IMG and in situ test), which showed 100% of inhibition and prevented the deterioration of Brazil nuts by A. nomius. The preliminary stability test showed the maintenance of antifungal activity and physicochemical characteristics for 90 days. These results suggest a promising system as a biofungicide against A. nomius.