Unraveling the relationship between conditions of ultrasonic-assisted extraction of chia mucilage and viscosity.

BACKGROUND: The application of chia mucilage still remains restricted due to the difficulty in achieving high extraction yields. The effect of ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) conditions (temperature, seed:water ratio and time) on the rheological properties of chia mucilage extracts and the relation to the proportion of translucent phase (TP) and opaque phase (OP) of the mucilage in the extract were evaluated. RESULTS: UAE allowed the efficient extraction of chia mucilage from chia seeds. The desired overall optimal combination to maximize both yield and apparent viscosity was achieved at a seed:water ratio 1:10, a temperature of 25.3 °C and 53.7 min extraction time; the optimal conditions to obtain the maximum yield and minimum apparent viscosity were a seed:water ratio close to 1:20, temperature of 48.8 °C and 208.4 min extraction time. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in the present work demonstrated that the differences in rheological properties of chia mucilage extracts are due to the extraction methods used. Therefore, it is possible to modulate the extraction conditions in order to obtain different characteristics of the mucilage, maintaining a high extraction yield. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Development and Characterization of Novel Biopolymer Derived from Abelmoschus esculentus L. Extract and Its Antidiabetic Potential.

Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) is an important vegetable crop, widely cultivated around the world due to its high nutritional significance along with several health benefits. Different parts of okra including its mucilage have been currently studied for its role in various therapeutic applications. Therefore, we aimed to develop and characterize the okra mucilage biopolymer (OMB) for its physicochemical properties as well as to evaluate its in vitro antidiabetic activity. The characterization of OMB using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that okra mucilage containing polysaccharides lies in the bandwidth of 3279 and 1030 cm-1, which constitutes the fingerprint region of the spectrum. In addition, physicochemical parameters such as percentage yield, percentage solubility, and swelling index were found to be 2.66%, 96.9%, and 5, respectively. A mineral analysis of newly developed biopolymers showed a substantial amount of calcium (412 mg/100 g), potassium (418 mg/100 g), phosphorus (60 mg/100 g), iron (47 mg/100 g), zinc (16 mg/100 g), and sodium (9 mg/100 g). The significant antidiabetic potential of OMB was demonstrated using α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory assay. Further investigations are required to explore the newly developed biopolymer for its toxicity, efficacy, and its possible utilization in food, nutraceutical, as well as pharmaceutical industries.

Mucilage as a functional food hydrocolloid: ongoing and potential applications in prebiotics and nutraceuticals.

Mucilage is a soluble dietary fiber used as a food additive to give foods a firmer texture, aside from its many health benefits and pharmacological properties. It is a polysaccharide in nature, composed of large molecules of sugars and uronic acid moieties. The extraction of mucilage is achieved from a wide variety of plant parts, including rhizomes, roots, and seeds, and it has also been reported from microorganisms. In this review, the nutritional and medicinal applications of mucilage are described in the context of the different mucilage types. The current article highlights state-of-the-art valorization practices relating to mucilage and its potential novel usages in the food industry and nutraceuticals, and as a prebiotic, in addition to its nutritional and anti-nutritional values. Analysis of the prebiotic action of mucilage with respect to its structure activity relationship, as well as how it modulates gut bacteria, is presented for the first time and in the context of its known health benefits inside the colon. It is recommended that more investigations are carried out to maximize the health benefits of mucilage and ensure its safety, especially upon long-term usage.

Plant-Based Gums and Mucilages Applications in Pharmacology and Nanomedicine: A Review.

Gums are carbohydrate biomolecules that have the potential to bind water and form gels. Gums are regularly linked with proteins and minerals in their construction. Gums have several forms, such as mucilage gums, seed gums, exudate gums, etc. Plant gums are one of the most important gums because of their bioavailability. Plant-derived gums have been used by humans since ancient times for numerous applications. The main features that make them appropriate for use in different applications are high stabilization, viscosity, adhesive property, emulsification action, and surface-active activity. In many pharmaceutical formulations, plant-based gums and mucilages are the key ingredients due to their bioavailability, widespread accessibility, non-toxicity, and reasonable prices. These compete with many polymeric materials for use as different pharmaceuticals in today's time and have created a significant achievement from being an excipient to innovative drug carriers. In particular, scientists and pharmacy industries around the world have been drawn to uncover the secret potential of plant-based gums and mucilages through a deeper understanding of their physicochemical characteristics and the development of safety profile information. This innovative unique class of drug products, useful in advanced drug delivery applications, gene therapy, and biosynthesis, has been developed by modification of plant-based gums and mucilages. In this review, both fundamental and novel medicinal aspects of plant-based gums and mucilages, along with their capacity for pharmacology and nanomedicine, were demonstrated.

The electrochemical immunosensor for detection of prostatic specific antigen using quince seed mucilage-GNPs-SNPs as a green composite.

Prostatic specific antigen (PSA) is known as a biomarker of prostate cancer. In males, prostate cancer is ranked second as leading cause of death out of more than 200 different cancer types1. As a result, early detection of cancer can cause a significant reduction in mortality. PSA concentration directly is related to prostate cancer, so normal serum concentrations in healthy means are 4 ng and above 10 ng as abnormal concentration. Therefore, PSA determination is important to cancer progression. In this study, a free label electrochemical immunosensor was prepared based on a new green platform for the quantitative detection of the PSA. The used platform was formed from quince seed mucilage containing green gold and silver nanoparticles and synthesized by the green method (using Calendula officinalis L. extract). The quince mucilage biopolymer was used as a sub layer to assemble nanoparticles and increase the electrochemical performance. This nanocomposite was used to increase the antibody loading and accelerate the electron transfer, which can increase the biosensor sensitivity. The antibodies of the PSA biomarker were successfully incubated on the green platform. Under the optimal conditions, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was proportional to the PSA biomarker concentration from 0.1 pg mL-1 to 100 ng mL-1 with low limit of detection (0.078 pg mL-1). The proposed green immunosensor exhibited high stability and reproducibility, which can be used for the quantitative assay of the PSA biomarker in clinical analyses. The results of real sample analysis presented another tool for the PSA biomarker detection in physiologic models.

Arabinoxylan and rhamnogalacturonan mucilage: Outgoing and potential trends of pharmaceutical, environmental, and medicinal merits.

Demand for safe, environmentally friendly and minimally processed food additives with intrinsic technological (stabilizing, texturizing, structuring) and functional potential is already on the rise. There are actually several natural excipients eligible for pharmaceutical formulation. Mucilage, as a class constitutes arabinoxylan and rhamnogalacturonan-based biomolecules used in the pharmaceutical, environmental as well as phytoremediation industries owing to its particular structure and properties. These compounds are widely used in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics, as well as, in agriculture, paper industries. This review emphasizes mucilage valuable applications in the pharmaceutical and industrial fields. In this context, much focus has recently been given to the valorization of mucilage as an ingredient for food or nutraceutical applications. Furthermore, different optimization and extraction techniques are presented to develop better utilization and/or enhanced yield of mucilage. The highlighted mucilage extraction methods warrant assessing up-scale processes to encourage for its industrial applications. The current article capitalizes on cutting-edge characteristics of mucilage and posing for other possible innovative applications in non-food industries. Here, the first holistic overview of mucilage with regards to its physicochemical properties and potential novel usages is presented.

Quality-by-design approach for development of sustained-release multiple-unit beads of lamotrigine based on ion-cross-linked composite of pectin and okra mucilage: An in vitro appraisal.

The main objective of the present study was to develop a sustained release multiple-unit beads of lamotrigine based on ionotropically cross-linked natural polysaccharides such as pectin (PTN) and okra mucilage (OM) and optimize the polymer-concentration, polymer ratio and cross-linker concentration by 23 full factorial design. Two different levels of three independent variables (total polymer concentration, polymer ratio and [CaCl2]) were considered for the experimental design. Drug-polymers compatibility was examined by FTIR, DSC, TGA and powder-XRD. The surface morphology of the bead before and after dissolution test was examined by SEM. Effects of the independent variables on bead-size, drug-encapsulation-efficiency (DEE), drug-release along with release similarity and difference factors were examined. The independent variables were then numerically optimized using Design-Expert software (Version 12) with the targets to meet USP-reference release profile after the analysis of variance of all the response parameters such as DEE, percent drug release at 2 h, 5 h, 12 h, Korsmeyer-Peppas rate constant, release similarity and difference factors. The optimized formulation showed excellent DEE of 89.2 ± 4.4% and a sustained release profile with release similarity factor of 94.9. Kinetic modeling of drug release data demonstrated a release mechanism combined of hydration, diffusion and erosion.

Physicochemical Characterization of Grewia ferruginea Hochst. ex A. Rich Mucilage for Potential Use as a Pharmaceutical Excipient.

Gum and mucilages from natural sources are in recent times increasingly investigated for pharmaceutical applications. Different studies have shown that the gum and mucilage fraction of various species of the genus Grewia were found to be effective viscosity enhancers, stabilizers, disintegrants, suspending agents, gelling agents, bioadhesives, film coating agents, and binders. However, no study has been conducted on the potential use of Grewia ferruginea mucilage (GFM) as a pharmaceutical excipient. Therefore, this study was aimed at characterizing the Grewia ferruginea bark mucilage for its potential use as a pharmaceutical excipient. The mucilage was extracted from the Grewia ferruginea inner stem bark through aqueous extraction, precipitated with 96% ethanol, dried, and powdered. The powdered mucilage was characterized for different physicochemical properties such as powder property, loss on drying, solubility and swelling index, ash value, pH, viscosity, moisture sorption property, microbial load, and acute oral toxicity. According to the results, the percentage yield of the final dried and powdered GFM was found to be 11.96% (w/w). The density and density-related properties of the mucilage showed good powder flow property. The GFM exhibited pseudoplastic flow behavior. Moisture sorption property of GFM revealed its hygroscopic nature, and its solubility and swelling property was increased with temperature. The pH of GFM was near neutral. Microbial load of the mucilage was within the pharmacopoeial limit, and the oral acute toxicity test revealed that the mucilage is safe up to 2000 mg/kg. From the investigations of this study, it can be concluded that Grewia ferruginea bark mucilage has the potential to be utilized as an excipient in pharmaceutical formulations.

Experimental techniques for the extraction of taro mucilage with enhanced emulsifier properties using chemical characterization.

The objective of this study was to analyze existing taro mucilage extraction techniques for extraction of a pure product with high emulsifying action to chemically characterize the mucilage. Five taro mucilage extraction techniques were analyzed which used room temperature, 4 °C, or 80 °C, with or without ethanol precipitation. Protein was detected in the mucilage extracted by each method and is ideal for the emulsifying action. Only mucilage extracted at low temperature and precipitated with ethanol did not contain starch, which is considered an impurity in the product. Therefore, from the tested techniques, cold extraction was found to provide mucilage with good emulsion activity and stability, making it possible to be used as a natural emulsifier. This mucilage is primarily formed by arabinogalactans connected to proteins which form AGP glycoprotein, a macro-molecule responsible for the emulsifying action.

Physicochemical, thermal, mechanical, optical, and barrier characterization of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) mucilage-protein concentrate biodegradable films.

In this study, the effect of chia mucilage (CM) and protein concentrate (CPC) contents on the physicochemical, thermal, mechanical, and optical characteristics of developed films was evaluated. Films were prepared dissolving CM:CPC mixtures (1% w/v) in seven ratios (0:1, 1:4, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, 1:0). Microstructure of treatments with higher CM revealed the formation of polysaccharide granules. A semicrystalline behavior was manifested in 1:0, which decreased as CPC content in the formulations increased. Contact angle values obtained for 1:1 and 2:1 were the highest (61.24° and 62.44°), evidencing less affinity to water than other films. TGA analysis suggest that films showed thermal stability at less than 225 °C. Melting temperatures above 85 °C were found for all films in the evaluated range (50 °C to 200 °C) of DSC analysis. Higher CM concentrations in films increased the force required to break them (13.5 MPa) and their elongation capacity (5.20%). As the CM ratio in formulations was increased, the color difference was lower (ΔE = 27.45), water vapor permeability was higher (10.9 × 10-11  g/m·s·Pa), but transparency was statistically the same for all treatments (6.62 to 7.26). After analyzing all films properties, 2:1 formulation corresponding to 25:75% w/v mixtures of CM:CPC would be the best option for use in food packaging.

The dependency of rheological properties of Plantago lanceolata seed mucilage as a novel source of hydrocolloid on mono- and di-valent salts.

The effects of NaCl and CaCl2 (0-200 mM) on the rheological properties of Plantago lanceolata seed mucilage (PLSM) as a novel potential source of polysaccharide gum were investigated in this study. Furthermore, FTIR analysis was measured to supply more structural information. The FTIR spectra revealed that PLSM with the presence of glycoside bonds and carboxyl and hydroxyl groups behave like a typical polyelectrolyte. It was observed that the gum solutions exhibited viscoelastic properties under the given conditions and the addition of salts had significant affection on the rheological parameters of gum solutions. The weak gel-like behavior (0.1 < tan Î´ < 1) observed for all solutions at different ion types and ionic strengths. The limiting values of strain mostly increased with enhance cation concentration due to the intermolecular interaction and therefore increase the stiffness of gum solutions in the concentrated domain. The frequency sweep results showed that developing ion concentration had a positive effect on the viscoelasticity of gum solutions which Ca2+ was more effective than Na+. Tanglertpaibul&Rao model showed the highest efficiency to evaluate the intrinsic viscosity of PLSM for all co-solutes. The results of this study could be useful when considering the effects of salts on food systems.

Recent progress in the research of yam mucilage polysaccharides: Isolation, structure and bioactivities.

Yam (Dioscorea spp.), known as an edible and medicinal tuber crop in China, has been used historically for the treatment of diabetes, diarrhea, asthma, and other ailments in traditional Chinese medicine. Moreover, it has been consumed as starchy food for thousands of years in China. Modern phytochemistry and pharmacological experiments have been proved that non-starch polysaccharide is one of the main bioactive substances of yam. Many studies have been focused on the isolation and identification of polysaccharides and their bioactivities of Chinese yam. However, due to the difference in the variety of raw materials and the method of polysaccharides extracting, the structure and biological activity of the obtained polysaccharides also differ. It has been demonstrated that Chinese yam polysaccharide has various important biological activities, such as hypoglycemia, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and antitumor activities. This paper is aimed at summarizing previous and current references of the isolation processes, structural features and bioactivities of yam polysaccharides. The review will serve as a useful reference material for further investigation and application of yam polysaccharides in functional foods and medicine fields.

Microencapsulation of sesame seed oil by tamarind seed mucilage.

Tamarind seed mucilage (TSM) was evaluated as a novel wall material for microencapsulation of sesame oil (SO) by spray-drying method. Wall material:core ratios of 1:1 (M1) and 1:2 (M2) were considered, and the corresponding physical and flow properties, thermal stability, functional groups composition, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, and oxidative stability were evaluated. Powder of M1 and M2 microcapsules exhibited free-flowing characteristics. The particle size distribution for M1 microcapsules was monomodal with diameter in the range 1-50 µm. In contrast, Microcapsules M2 presented a bimodal distribution with diameter in the ranges 1-50 µm and 50-125 µm. M1 microcapsules were thermally stable until 227 °C and microcapsules M2 until 178 °C. Microcapsules M1 and M2 exhibited a dominant amorphous halo and external morphology almost spherical in shape. Encapsulation efficiency was 91.05% for M1 and 81.22% for M2. Peroxide formation reached values after six weeks was 14.65 and 16.51 mEq/kgOil for M1 and M2 respectively. Overall, the results led to the conclusion that tamarind mucilage is a viable material for high microencapsulation efficiency, while offering protection against oxidation mechanisms of SO.

Bioparticles of flaxseed protein and mucilage enhance the physical and oxidative stability of flaxseed oil emulsions as a potential natural alternative for synthetic surfactants.

Flaxseed protein (FP) and mucilage (FM) complex bioparticles as sustainable ingredients were assembled by electrostatic interaction for plant-based Pickering stabilization of flaxseed oil (FO)-in-water emulsions. The effect of FO content (1-5 wt%) on droplet size and accelerated creaming stability of the emulsions was evaluated, from which it was found that 2.5 wt% FO emulsion had the smallest initial droplet size (i.e. D[4,3] = 8 µm) and creaming velocity (2.9 µm/s). The microstructure of the emulsions was observed using Cryo-SEM, confocal and optical microscopy, showing a thick layer of the particles on the oil surface responsible for the stabilization. The physical stability of FO emulsions stabilized by complex bioparticles against various environmental stress conditions (pH, salt and temperature) was higher compared to plain FP- and polysorbate 80-stabilized emulsions. Thus, the droplet size of FP-stabilized emulsions (pH 3) increased from 21 to 38 µm after thermal treatment (80 °C), whereas the size distribution of particle-stabilized emulsions hardly changed. The latter emulsions also remained stable during 28 days of storage and displayed good stability against a wide range of pH conditions (2-9) and salt concentrations (0-500 mM) with no sign of oiling-off. The complex particles as Pickering emulsifiers were successful to depress the FO oxidation at 4 °C and 50 °C. This study could open a promising pathway for producing natural and surfactant-free emulsions through Pickering stabilization using plant-based biopolymer particles for protecting lipophilic bioactive components.

Development and optimization of sustained release mucoadhesive composite beads for colon targeting.

The present work investigates a blend of Linum Seed mucilage(LSM) and Hibiscus Leaf gum(HLG) as mucoadhesive carriers for Capecitabine(CPTB) loaded mucoadhesive composite bead formulation (CMB), in an attempt to achieve sustained release of CPTB (BCS Class I drug) in the colon region. Optimization using Box-Behnken Design(BBD) was used to study the effect of quantities of mucoadhesive carriers(LSM,HLG) and enteric polymer pectin (in curing solution) on response factors such as %drug loading (%DL) and %drug release (%DR). CMB prepared by ion-gelation technique showed uniform bead size, spherical surface morphology, maximum drug encapsulation efficiency. The optimized CMB(F18) exhibited maximum %drug loading(28.94%), favorable in vitro drug release of CPTB(54.43%) in 12 h, where, the release kinetics follow zero order non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. CMB's exhibited significantly higher swelling upon exposure to alkaline media than acidic media similarly ex vivo mucoadhesive study also revealed that major fraction of beads were washed off within 2 h in 1.2pH media whereas in 7.4pH alkaline media major portion of the beads remain adhered even after 24 h Moreover accelerated stability testing of CMB(F18) revealed shelf life of about 2.59 years. Hence the study confirms that the combination of LSM&HLG as ideal mucoadhesive carriers and can favorably target highly soluble drugs to the colon region.

Encapsulation of flaxseed oil in the tertiary conjugate of oxidized tannic acid-gelatin and flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) mucilage.

Flaxseed oil, due to high amount of unsaturation, is susceptible to oxidation which could reduce oil nutritional value and cause off-flavor. In this study, flaxseed oil was encapsulated in new wall materials of tertiary conjugate of gelatin-flaxseed mucilage (FM)-oxidized tannic acid (OTA) which are available and food grade with nutritional value, controlled-release ability. The effect of different percentages of oil (15, 30 and 50% w/w concentration of total dry matter) on encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading (EL) was investigated. Then, the microcapsules were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), oxidative stability and release profile of flaxseed oil. The data showed that the treatment containing 50% (w/w) oil had the highest oil loading. The oil was surrounded by physical link into the complex and the final powder was fine with low porosity. Also, oxidative test exhibited an improved stability of the oil encapsulated in triple complex. During storage, the peroxide value of encapsulated oil increased from 3.0 to 5.3 meq O2/kg while in free oil, higher oxidation rate was recorded. According to the results, this tertiary complex can be used as wall material in encapsulation and delivery system of functional and sensitive oils.

Chia seed mucilage - a vegan thickener: isolation, tailoring viscoelasticity and rehydration.

Chia seeds and their mucilage gels provide a nutritionally and functionally promising ingredient for the food and pharmaceutical industry. Application and utilization of the gel remain limited due to the tightly adhesion of the mucilage to the seeds, which affects the organoleptic properties, control of concentration and structuring possibilities. To exploit the full potential of chia mucilage gels as a functional ingredient calls for separation and purification of the gel. Herein, the gel was extracted by centrifugation and characterized rheologically and microscopically to link the viscoelastic properties to the structural properties. Subsequently, the gel was dried employing three different methods for facilitated storage and prolonged shelf life. The dried gels were readily soluble and its viscoelastic properties were fully regenerated upon rehydration demonstrating its potential to envisage industrial applications. The viscoelastic chia mucilage demonstrated shear-thinning behavior with complete relaxation upon stress removal. The gel's elasticity was enhanced with increasing mucilage concentration resulting in a highly tunable system. The extractable and rehydratable functional chia gel is a viable candidate as additive for the development of products requiring specific viscoelastic properties. Addition of the gel enhances the nutritional profile without interfering with the organoleptic properties.

Plant-derived bioadhesives for wound dressing and drug delivery system.

Synthetic polymers have been widely used in various biomedical applications like drug delivery, wound dressing, etc. They pose a question of bio-compatibility and bio-accumulation, limiting to a minimum class of synthetic polymers to be efficient and versatile. Hence, one cheap and reliant replacement is the use of natural adhesives over the synthetic adhesive polymeric system. The pluripotency of plant could be exploit, making it a perfect candidate for extraction of plant-derived adhesives component for wound dressing and drug delivery system in large-scale production. Current advancement use excipients which influence, the rate of drug release and absorption. Properties like matrix formation and environment responsive gelation can be exploited through these plant-derived components for controlled drug release according to specific therapeutic requirement. This review explores such plant-derived bioactive component: Mucilage and gums, their isolation, and characterization which can be exploited as excipients in the formulation of drug delivery system as well as a wound dressing.

Development, modification and characterization of new biodegradable film from basil seed (Ocimum basilicum L.) mucilage.

BACKGROUND: Biodegradable films from basil seed mucilage (BSM) were formed and modified with several di-carboxylic acid crosslinkers; i.e. tartaric acid (TA), malic acid (MA) and succinic acid (SA) with varying acidity and chemical structures, to enhance mechanical properties and water barrier ability. Basil seeds have a reasonable mucilage content and valuable properties; thus, it has the potential to develop valuable new biodegradable films. RESULT: We characterized BSM films with the three crosslinkers using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and observed a 1730 cm-1 CO stretching peak, which confirmed ester linkage between the mucilage and crosslinkers. The crosslinked films showed higher gel fraction than native films. The crosslinked films showed better swelling and water vapor permeability with SA than with TA and MA. Crosslinking led to significant improvement in strain at maximum load. Further, the stress maximum load was comparable to that of commercial low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film. Crosslinked films showed additional homogeneous morphology and an increase in thermal degradation temperatures. CONCLUSION: Crosslinking with dicarboxylic acids improved all the key properties of BSM films, including excellent stress and strain at maximum load, improved barrier capability and thermal properties. Thus, these films showed good potential as biodegradable films, especially for food packaging. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nanoencapsulation of linseed oil with chia mucilage as structuring material: Characterization, stability and enrichment of orange juice.

Linseed oil was nanoencapsulated with chia seed mucilage (CSM) as structuring material. Linseed oil nanoparticles (LO-NP) were evaluated regarding particle size distribution, zeta potential, pH, viscosity, encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, morphology, FT-IR and thermal properties. Furthermore, the nanoparticles were spray-dried, and oxidative stability was evaluated during 28 days under storage at accelerated conditions (40 °C). The bioaccessibility of spray dried nanoparticles (SP LO-NP) was also evaluated after in vitro digestion. Thereafter, SP LO-NP were utilized in the enrichment of orange juice, and physicochemical and sensory evaluation of pure orange juice and orange juice with SP LO-NP were evaluated. Nanoparticles in suspension presented a mean diameter of 356 ±â€¯2.83 nm, zeta potential of -22.75 ±â€¯3.89 mV and encapsulation efficiency of 52%. No significant differences regarding consumer acceptance were observed between pure orange juice and orange juice with SP LO-NP. The results suggest that CSM can be used as structuring material to nanoencapsulate hydrophobic compounds, allowing its solubility in foods with high water content. Furthermore, the SP LO-NP provided a good bioaccessibility to linseed oil after in vitro digestion, which represents an advantage to incorporate the nanoparticles in food.