Liposomes and Foods

Liposomal embedding has been shown to stabilize encapsulated bioactive materials from a range of environmental and chemical changes, including enzymatic and chemical modifications, as well as buffering extreme pH, temperature, and ionic strength changes. The application of liposome systems in food regions that allow the release of bioactive molecules that are carried and controlled has been recognized as one of the major strategies for improving nutrient stability, increasing individual absorption, and improving food quality.

In the food industry, liposomes have been used to provide food flavor and nutrition, and liposomes can adulterate food antimicrobials that help protect food from spoilage and the growth of pathogenic microorganisms.

In traditional food processing, the application of liposome microencapsulation technology mainly includes the encapsulation of flavor components, the encapsulation of enzymes in the dairy industry, the protection of sensitive components such as vitamins or minerals, etc. With the in-depth study of liposomes and the progress of liposome technology, a variety of liposome products have appeared in the food field, among which the application directions of liposomes are as follows:

1. As a new dosage form of nutrition. Liposome has become a new food in healthcare products and nutritional supplements. As a microstructural component of breast milk, liposome plays an important role in nutrition absorption, maintaining the stability of the breast milk system, and improving bioavailability, and immune activity. Liposome nutritional preparations, after entering the body, can not only enhance the solubility of nutrients, and protect nutrients from digestive enzymes and acid and base damage, but also increase the absorption of some hydrophobic nutrients.
2. Protective carrier. Liposomes can effectively protect vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and other nutrients in food, and effectively reduce the loss of nutrients during processing and storage. Since many vitamins and amino acids are easy to be oxidized and easily decomposed by light, they suffer great losses in food processing engineering, thus unable to achieve the purpose of nutrition, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, iron, and so on. The results show that liposomes can effectively protect IgY activity, even in the environment of pepsin.
3. New enzyme reactor. In food processing, the role of enzymes is indispensable, but the conditions of enzyme action are harsh. The activity of enzymes is not only affected by the conditions of the food system, but also by the processing process and the environment, which brings a lot of inconvenience to the large-scale industrialization of food. By wrapping enzymes in liposomes, they can be isolated from the food environment, allowing them to remain active in a variety of environments and catalyze reactions better. At present, liposomes as micro-enzyme reactors are mainly used in two fields, dairy processing, and meat processing. In dairy products processing, the liposome can be used for cheese flavor improvement and other characteristics improvement. In the meat industry, it may also become a conventional processing method, As an amphiphilic delivery system, liposomes can be used to coat food active compounds, improve their stability, promote antibacterial and antioxidant effects, and further extend the shelf life of meat products.

References

1. Taylor TM; et al. Liposomal nanocapsules in food science and agriculture. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2005;45(7-8):587-605.
2. Liu W; et al. Research progress on liposomes: Application in food, digestion behavior and absorption mechanism. Trends in Food Science & Technology. 2020. 104: p. 177-189.
3. Huang L; et al. Liposomes as Delivery System for Applications in Meat Products. Foods. 2022 Sep 28; 11(19): 3017.