Essential contributions of food hydrocolloids and phospholipid liposomes to the formation of carriers for controlled delivery of biologically active substances via the gastrointestinal tract

In recent years, natural food hydrocolloids (proteins and polysaccharides) have been intensively researched for their application in improving health or preventing disease through dietary therapy. This review focuses on recently achieved insights into the essential contributions of the food hydrocolloids to both the formation of micro/nanoparticles for the oral delivery of health promoting ingredients (nutraceuticals) and the regulation of their fate in the gastrointestinal tract, including effects on the gut microbiota. Furthermore, our focus is on the useful role of phospholipid liposomes in supporting these contributions. A brief overview is provided for the update applications of hydrocolloid-based carriers for the oral delivery of different nutraceuticals with emphasis on lipophilic low molecular weight biologically active molecules and therapeutic proteins/peptides. The advantages of the hydrocolloid-based nanocarriers are underlined. This review also demonstrates the most promising ways and mechanisms found up to date for the encapsulation of the nutraceuticals by food hydrocolloids with the aim of the efficient protection of their structure and biological activity against a harmful environment. The main factors are analyzed that impact on both the gastrointestinal fate of such delivery systems and the release of therapeutic cargo from them.