New Polymers for Encapsulation of Nutraceutical Compounds

Book excerpt: The incorporation of functional ingredients in a given food system and the processing and handling of such foods are associated with nutritional challenges for their healthy delivery. The extreme sensitivity of some components cause significant loss of product quality, stability, nutritional value and bioavailability, and the overall acceptability of the food product. Consequently, encapsulation has been successfully used to improve stability and bioavailability of functional ingredients. Encapsulation is one example of technology that has the potential to meet the challenge of successfully incorporating and delivering functional ingredients into a range of food types. The book will cover topics about 1) Characterization of novel polymers and their use in encapsulation processes. 2) Stability of nutraceutical compounds encapsulated with novel polymers. 3) Application of encapsulated compounds with novel polymers in functional food systems. This book provides a detailed overview of technologies for preparing and characterisation of encapsulates for food active ingredients using modified polymers. The use of modified polymers as coating materials it is a field that still needs study. The book is aimed to inform students and researchers in the areas of food science and food technology, and professionals in the food industry.