DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEMS OF NANOENCAPSULATION, CONTAINING BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, WITH APPLICATIONS IN THE FOOD SECTOR

The lifestyle of the most industrialized countries leads people to an increase in the consumption of meals outside their homes (ready-to-eat foods). At the same time, the consumers are strongly oriented towards the consumption of food with characteristic of safety, in ways that prevent food-borne illness, and with increased health properties to avoid the onset of serious diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disorders, tumors, etc. Bioactive compounds with characteristic as low solubility in water, taste, volatility or sensitivity to oxygen, light and heat are very complex to use in processed food because of their interaction with food matrix. Nanoencapsulation of bioactives represents a valid and efficient strategy to overcome these obstacles, improving bioaccessibility and bioavailability of bioactive.1 Here we reported two nanoencapsulated systems based on biodegradable and biocompatible poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL): the first containing vitamin E or hydroxycinnamic acid, in order to produce new potential fortified food; the second containing essential oil in order to combat, as food preservative, the microbial contamination related to foodborne diseases.2,3 The nanosystems have been characterized by size, stability over time, loading and release efficiency of bioactive. Tests on PCL nanocapsules performed to simulate gastro-intestinal digestion and antimicrobial assay against food-borne pathogens are also reported. Riferimenti: 1) Chaudhry, Q., Scotter, M., Blackburn, J., Ross, B., Boxall, A., Castle, L., Aitken, R., & Watkins, R., (2008). Applications and implications of nanotechnologies for the food sector. Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A, 25, 241-258. 2) Granata, G., Consoli, G. M. L., Lo Nigro, R., Geraci, C. (2018). Hydroxycinnamic acids loaded in lipid-core nanocapsules. Food Chemistry, 245, 551-556. 3) Granata, G., Stracquadanio, S., Leonardi, M., Napoli, E., Consoli, G. M. L., Cafiso, V., Stefani, S., Geraci, C. (2018). Essential oils encapsulated in polymer-based nanocapsules as potential candidates for application in food preservation. Food Chemistry, 269, 286-292.