Encapsulation technologies: A tool for functional foods development

Abstract

There is a growing demand for functional foods in the market with the increasing of world’s population. The main targets for this trend in consumption are foods containing plant extracts with antioxidant properties, polyunsaturated fatty acids, probiotics, vitamins and minerals. Although many of these components are unstable under normal conditions or have a residual taste, their application is limited. It is therefore necessary to use techniques which can protect the stability of these functional components, enable their application in various food matrices and enable them to be better absorbed in our gastrointestinal tract. Various sectors of the food industry have a demand for the enrichment of foods with functional compounds. This review aims at highlighting the importance and application of various encapsulating techniques of probiotics, unsaturated oils, flavours, and fruit juice. The methods and wall materials used in different encapsulation techniques would discuss in this review. Encapsulation technology is an emerging technology that can guarantee the stability of these functional ingredients and allow their application in variety of food matrices.