Lavelli V, Sereikaitė J. Kinetic Study of Encapsulated β-Carotene Degradation in Aqueous Environments: A Review.
Foods 2022;
11:317. [PMID:
35159470 PMCID:
PMC8834023 DOI:
10.3390/foods11030317]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The provitamin A activity of β-carotene is of primary interest to address one of the world's major malnutrition concerns. β carotene is a fat-soluble compound and its bioavailability from natural sources is very poor. Hence, studies have been focused on the development of specific core/shell micro- or nano-structures that encapsulate β-carotene in order to allow its dispersion in liquid systems and improve its bioavailability. One key objective when developing these structures is also to accomplish β-carotene stability. The aim of this review is to collect kinetic data (rate constants, activation energy) on the degradation of encapsulated β-carotene in order to derive knowledge on the possibility for these systems to be scaled-up to the industrial production of functional foods. Results showed that most of the nano- and micro-structures designed for β-carotene encapsulation and dispersion in the water phase provide better protection with respect to a natural matrix, such as carrot juice, increasing the β-carotene half-life from about 30 d to more than 100 d at room temperature. One promising approach to increase β-carotene stability was found to be the use of wall material, surfactants, or co-encapsulated compounds with antioxidant activity. Moreover, a successful approach was the design of structures, where the core is partially or fully solidified; alternatively, either the core or the interface or the outer phase are gelled. The data collected could serve as a basis for the rational design of structures for β-carotene encapsulation, where new ingredients, especially the extraordinary natural array of hydrocolloids, are applied.
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