Advances in molecular design of biopolymer-based delivery micro/nanovehicles for essential fatty acids

The demand of food products fortified with essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) continues to increase around the world. However, the increased oxidative instability of omega-3 PUFAs hinders their use as health-promoting food ingredients owing to the expected deterioration of the food product quality. One of the successful ways to tackle this difficulty is the micro- and nanoencapsulation of PUFAs in the different kinds of the biopolymer-based delivery systems. By this means this review article focuses on the recent advances in the molecular design of biopolymer based nanoscale delivery systems (nanoparticles and nanoelmulsions) for essential PUFAs specifically. These advances concern the ways of both the formation of such systems and the biopolymer modification (physical, chemical or enzymatic), which are used to increase the potential of biopolymers relative to the PUFAs nano encapsulation and protection against oxidation in particular. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.