Microencapsulation of Bioactive Ingredients for Their Delivery into Fermented Milk Products: A Review.

The popularity and consumption of fermented milk products are growing. On the other hand, consumers are interested in health-promoting and functional foods. Fermented milk products are an excellent matrix for the incorporation of bioactive ingredients, making them functional foods. To overcome the instability or low solubility of many bioactive ingredients under various environmental conditions, the encapsulation approach was developed. This review analyzes the fortification of three fermented milk products, i.e., yogurt, cheese, and kefir with bioactive ingredients. The encapsulation methods and techniques alongside the encapsulant materials for carotenoids, phenolic compounds, omega-3, probiotics, and other micronutrients are discussed. The effect of encapsulation on the properties of bioactive ingredients themselves and on textural and sensory properties of fermented milk products is also presented.

New ß-Carotene-Chitooligosaccharides Complexes for Food Fortification: Stability Study.

The application of ß-carotene in food industry is limited due to its chemical instability. The drawback may be overcome by designing new delivery systems. The stability of ß-carotene complexed with chitooligosaccharides by kneading, freeze-drying and sonication methods was investigated under various conditions. The first-order kinetics parameters of the reaction of ß-carotene degradation were calculated. The complexation improved the stability of ß-carotene at high temperatures and ensured its long-term stability in the dark at 4 °C and 24 °C, and in the light at 24 °C. In water solutions, the best characteristics were exhibited by the complexes prepared by freeze-drying and sonication methods. In the powder form, the complexes retained their colour for the period of the investigation of four months. The calculated total colour differences of the complexes were qualified as appreciable, detectable by ordinary people, but not large. Therefore, ß-carotene-chitooligosaccharides complexes could be used as a new delivery system suitable for food fortification.

Preparation and characterisation of novel water-soluble ß-carotene-chitooligosaccharides complexes.

ß-carotene and chitooligosaccharides are bioactive compounds that find their application in the food industry as well in biomedical fields. However, the application of ß-carotene is limited due to its very low water solubility, as well as its air, light and temperature sensitivity. The preparation of ß-carotene-chitooligosaccharides complexes by mechanochemical methods was presented. Their physical and chemical properties including solubility, size, zeta potential and radical scavenging activity were investigated. The interaction of the two components was shown by NMR, FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopy. The complexes were analysed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Chitooligosaccharides could serve as a carrier for ß-carotene delivery. The complexation did not cause the loss of the radical scavenging activity of ß-carotene and guaranteed its water solubility.

Intracellular Delivery and Triggered Release of DNA Using Biodegradable Poly(2-hydroxypropylene imine)s Containing Cystamine Units.

Poly(2-hydroxypropylene imine)s containing segments of cystamine (PHPI-CA) are synthesized by polycondensation of 1,3-dibromo-2-propanol with a mixture of 1,3-diamino-2-propanol and cystamine. High molecular weight fractions of these polymers are collected by ultrafiltration and characterized by chemical analysis, 1 H and 13 C-NMR spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography with triple detection, and potentiometric titration, and are tested for DNA delivery in vitro. It is shown that PHPI-CA are highly branched polymers containing disulfide linkages. Transfection efficiency of PHPI-CA for DNA gives similar results to that of PHPI with GFP+ cell percent reaching 80-90%. Cytotoxicity levels for PHPI-CA are lower than that of PHPI. Novel polymers containing different amounts of disulfide linkages are able to disintegrate and release DNA following the treatment with reducing agent 1,4-dithiothreitol. Downstream application of PHPI-CA transfected cells for RNA purification shows that RNA yield is not affected even after the double transfection suggesting that these polymers could be great candidates for in vitro and in vivo transfection.