Nutrient Delivery: Nanotechnology in the Agri-Food Industry – Volume 5 – eBook

Nutrient Delivery: Nanotechnology in the Agri-Food Industry, Volume 5, (PDF), discusses the fabrication, applications, demerits, merits, and bioavailability enhancement mechanisms of various nanodelivery systems. Recent developments in various nanodelivery systems are also highlighted. Volume Five contains 20 chapters, prepared by outstanding international researchers from Brazil, Argentina, China, Canada, India, Croatia, Ireland, México, Iran, Portugal, Serbia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the United States.

In recent years, the delivery of micronutrients at the nanoscale has been widely studied as these systems have the potential to improve bioavailability, enable controlled release and enhance the stability of food bioactives to a much greater extent. The nanodelivery systems typically consist of the food bioactive compound encapsulated and stabilized in food grade ingredients such as proteins, lipids or polysaccharides with diameters ranging from 10 nm to 1000 nm. Among these, the lipid-based delivery systems such as solid lipid nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, nanoliposomes, and micelles are widely studied for the delivery of lipophilic bioactive compounds. These delivery vehicles improve the permeability, solubility, stability and bioavailability of the lipophilic compounds thereby enhancing their potential for oral delivery and functional food development.

On the other hand, the hydrophilic bioactives are delivered through protein, polysaccharide or biopolymer based colloidal nanosystems such as nanogels, hydrogels, and polymer nanoparticles. The major concern other than solubility is the intestinal permeability of the micronutrients. For instance, the delivery system for compounds with poor intestinal permeability and low solubility needs to be carefully designed using suitable surfactants and lipids.

• Includes novel opportunities and ideas for developing or improving technologies in the food industry
• Offers updated material for postgraduate and undergraduate students in biotechnology, food science, and related engineering fields
• Provides a valuable resource of recent scientific progress, along with most known applications of nanomaterials in the food industry for engineers, researchers, and academics