Background

Lipid oxidation is a major degradative reaction limiting the shelf-life and deteriorating the quality of lipid-containing food products. The oxidative deterioration of food products has a negative impact in the food industry in addition to the generation of potentially toxic products. Consequently, the inclusion of additives to slow down or stop the propagation of oxidation reactions is warranted, especially for prolonged storage durations. Currently, there is an increasing interest in using natural phytochemicals of potential antioxidant activity due to their ability to retard oxidation reactions and to extend food shelf life.

Technology Overview

Seaweeds are an important source of bioactive compounds that could potentially be exploited as functional ingredients in food. Seaweeds represent an excellent source of vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Among the various common seaweed species found along the Mediterranean coast, is the red algae Jania rubens (J. rubens) which is rich in several bioactive compounds including flavonoids, vitamins and fatty acids. These chemicals can be used as additives in food products, supplements and cosmetics. However, their use in food products has been limited due to their astringent taste, high reactivity with other food components, poor solubility, instability and fast sedimentation.

Nanoencapsulation presents a potential solution to mask the phytochemicals astringent taste, while protecting the bioactive compounds from light/oxygen and improving their dispersibility in food systems. Chitosan was selected as a suitable nanocarrier material, since carbohydrate-based carriers are well known for being biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic and generally recognized as GRAS by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Chitosan is also of food grade type and is also stable in food systems, i.e. during processing, packaging, storage and can withstand elevated temperatures due to its thermal stability.

In the present technology, J. rubens chitosan nanoparticles (JCNP) were prepared by ionic gelation technique using sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as the cross-linking agent with the aim of increasing the stability and activity of the entrapped phytochemicals in food products.

Benefits

Extending the shelf-life of vegetable oils using natural ingredients
The usage of synthetic free preservatives.
Eliminating the usage of toxic materials for encapsulation.

Applications

Shelf-life extension of food products.

Nanoencapsulation of Jania rubens Seaweed’s Antioxidants for Food Applications

Patents

IP Status