Natural Pigments and Cyclodextrins: Overview on a Synergistic Approach to Encapsulation

The growing demand for natural dyes in the food industry has stimulated research into strategies aimed at improving their stability, solubility, and bioavailability. This review examines the synergistic use of cyclodextrins (CDs) as encapsulating agents for natural pigments, highlighting their ability to form inclusion complexes that protect pigments from various external factors. Following an overview of the structure, chemistry, and functionalization of CDs, their role in stabilizing different classes of natural pigments is discussed. Among the various types, β-CD emerges as the most widely used due to its optimal cavity size and commercial availability. The main encapsulation techniques, along with the analytical methods used to characterize the resulting complexes, are also presented. Finally, several studies are reviewed, confirming that CDs significantly enhance the physicochemical properties and solubility of natural pigments, thereby supporting their application in food matrices with results comparable to those of synthetic dyes.