Lipid-based nanocarriers for efficient delivery of lipophilic nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals have received a lot of attention from consumers due to their numerous health benefits and high safety profiles. Demand for efficient delivery of such substances is also due to increased interest in naturally derived products and a healthy lifestyle. In addition to their nutritional values, these substances have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects, among others, and can prevent and/or treat chronic diseases. Despite various health benefits that nutraceuticals provide, their use in food preparations is commonly limited due to their high sensitivity to external factors, unpleasant odour or taste, low stability, and susceptibility to degradation during in vivo digestion. In addition, many nutraceuticals, including flavonoids, vitamins, fatty acids, curcuminoids, and essential oils have low water solubility, resulting in low bioavailability implying limited health effects. These problems can be solved by encapsulating nutraceuticals in nanocarriers. In particular, lipid-based carriers, including liposomes, nanoemulsions, nanostructured lipid carriers, niosomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and self-emulsifying drug delivery systems are suitable for incorporating such compounds in the food industry due to their high biocompatibility. In addition, they can increase the bioavailability and stability of encapsulated substances and deliver the substance to a specific place in the body. This review covers characterization of various lipid-based nanocarriers and provides examples of these types of carriers developed in recent years for nutraceutical delivery, along with the benefits they provide.