Food nanoemulsions: how simulated gastrointestinal digestion models, nanoemulsion, and food matrix properties affect bioaccessibility of encapsulated bioactive compounds.

Food nanoemulsions are known as very effective and excellent carriers for both lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive compounds (BCs) and have been successfully used for controlled delivery and protection of BCs during gastrointestinal digestion (GID). However, due to sensitive and fragile morphology, BCs-loaded nanoemulsions have different digestion pathways depending on their properties, food matrix properties, and applied models for testing their digestibility and BCs bioaccessibility. Thus, this review gives a critical review of the behavior of encapsulated BCs into food nanoemulsions during each phase of GID in different static and dynamic in vitro digestion models, as well as of the influence of nanoemulsion and food matrix properties on BCs bioaccessibility. In the last section, the toxicity and safety of BCs-loaded nanoemulsions evaluated on in vitro and in vivo GID models have also been discussed. Better knowledge of food nanoemulsions' behavior in different models of simulated GI conditions and within different nanoemulsion and food matrix types can help to standardize the protocol for their testing aiming for researchers to compare results and design BCs-loaded nanoemulsions with better performance and higher targeted BCs bioaccessibility.

Food nanoemulsions are effective and excellent carriers for bioactive compounds (BCs).Nanoemulsions are often subject to morphological and structural changes during digestion.BC-s loaded nanoemulsions have different digestion pathways in different digestion models.BC-s have different bioaccessibility in different nanoemulsion models.Food matrix can affect the bioaccessibility of BCs entrapped in nanoemulsions.

The Application of Protein Concentrate Obtained from Green Leaf Biomass in Structuring Nanofibers for Delivery of Vitamin B12.

Nanofibers made of natural proteins have caught the increasing attention of food scientists because of their edibility, renewability, and possibility for various applications. The objective of this study was to prepare nanofibers based on pumpkin leaf protein concentrate (LPC) as a by-product from some crops and gelatin as carriers for vitamin B12 using the electrospinning technique. The starting mixtures were analyzed in terms of viscosity, density, surface tension, and electrical conductivity. Scanning electron micrographs of the obtained nanofibers showed a slight increase in fiber average diameter with the addition of LPC and vitamin B12 (~81 nm to 109 nm). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy verified the physical blending of gelatin and LPC without phase separation. Thermal analysis showed the fibers had good thermal stability up to 220 °C, highlighting their potential for food applications, regardless of the thermal processing. Additionally, the newly developed fibers have good storage stability, as detected by low water activity values ranging from 0.336 to 0.376. Finally, the release study illustrates the promising sustained release of vitamin B12 from gelatin-LPC nanofibers, mainly governed by the Fickian diffusion mechanism. The obtained results implied the potential of these nanofibers in the development of functional food products with improved nutritional profiles.

Structural, Mechanical, and Barrier Properties of the Polyvinylidene Fluoride-Bacterial Nanocellulose-Based Hybrid Composite.

This study presents an analysis of films which consist of two layers; one layer is PVDF as the matrix, along with fillers BaTiO3 (BT), and the second is one bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) filled with Fe3O4. The mass fraction of BT in PVDF was 5%, and the samples were differentiated based on the duration of the mechanical activation of BT. This innovative PVDF laminate polymer with environmentally friendly fillers aligns with the concept of circular usage, resulting in a reduction in plastic content and potential improvement of the piezoelectric properties of the entire composite. This work presents new, multifunctional "green" packaging materials that potentially could be a good alternative to specific popular materials used for this purpose. The synthesis of the films was carried out using the hot press method. Tensile tests, water vapor permeability examination, and structural analyses using SEM-EDS and FTIR have been conducted. The sample PVDF/BT20/BNC/Fe3O4 exhibited the best barrier properties (impermeability to water vapor), while the highest tensile strength and toughness were exhibited by the PVDF/BT5/BNC/Fe3O4 sample.

Broccoli, Amaranth, and Red Beet Microgreen Juices: The Influence of Cold-Pressing on the Phytochemical Composition and the Antioxidant and Sensory Properties.

The aim of this study was to analyze in detail the phytochemical composition of amaranth (AMJ), red beet (RBJ), and broccoli (BCJ) microgreens and cold-pressed juices and to evaluate the antioxidant and sensory properties of the juices. The results showed the presence of various phenolic compounds in all samples, namely betalains in amaranth and red beet microgreens, while glucosinolates were only detected in broccoli microgreens. Phenolic acids and derivatives dominated in amaranth and broccoli microgreens, while apigenin C-glycosides were most abundant in red beet microgreens. Cold-pressing of microgreens into juice significantly altered the profiles of bioactive compounds. Various isothiocyanates were detected in BCJ, while more phenolic acid aglycones and their derivatives with organic acids (quinic acid and malic acid) were identified in all juices. Microgreen juices exhibited good antioxidant properties, especially ABTS•+ scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power. Microgreen juices had mild acidity, low sugar content, and good sensory acceptability and quality with the typical flavors of the respective microgreen species. Cold-pressed microgreen juices from AMJ, RBJ, and BCJ represent a rich source of bioactive compounds and can be characterized as novel functional products.