Abstract：
The provitamin A activity of β-carotene is of primary interest to address one of the world\'s major malnutrition concerns. β carotene is a fat-soluble compound and its bioavailability from natural sources is very poor. Hence, studies have been focused on the development of specific core/shell micro- or nano-structures that encapsulate β-carotene in order to allow its dispersion in liquid systems and improve its bioavailability. One key objective when developing these structures is also to accomplish β-carotene stability. The aim of this review is to collect kinetic data (rate constants, activation energy) on the degradation of encapsulated β-carotene in order to derive knowledge on the possibility for these systems to be scaled-up to the industrial production of functional foods. Results showed that most of the nano- and micro-structures designed for β-carotene encapsulation and dispersion in the water phase provide better protection with respect to a natural matrix, such as carrot juice, increasing the β-carotene half-life from about 30 d to more than 100 d at room temperature. One promising approach to increase β-carotene stability was found to be the use of wall material, surfactants, or co-encapsulated compounds with antioxidant activity. Moreover, a successful approach was the design of structures, where the core is partially or fully solidified; alternatively, either the core or the interface or the outer phase are gelled. The data collected could serve as a basis for the rational design of structures for β-carotene encapsulation, where new ingredients, especially the extraordinary natural array of hydrocolloids, are applied.
摘要：
β-胡萝卜素的维生素A原活性是解决世界上主要的营养不良问题之一的主要利益。β-胡萝卜素是脂溶性化合物,其从天然来源的生物利用度非常差。因此，研究一直集中在开发特定的核/壳微米或纳米结构，这些结构包封β-胡萝卜素，以使其分散在液体系统中并提高其生物利用度。开发这些结构时的一个关键目标也是实现β-胡萝卜素稳定性。这篇综述的目的是收集动力学数据(速率常数，活化能）对封装的β-胡萝卜素的降解，以便了解这些系统是否有可能扩大到功能食品的工业生产。结果表明，大多数设计用于β-胡萝卜素包封和分散在水相中的纳米和微观结构相对于天然基质提供更好的保护。比如胡萝卜汁，在室温下，β-胡萝卜素的半衰期从大约30d增加到超过100d。发现增加β-胡萝卜素稳定性的一种有希望的方法是使用壁材料，表面活性剂，或具有抗氧化活性的共包封化合物。此外，一个成功的方法是结构设计，其中核心部分或完全凝固；或者，核或界面或外相被凝胶化。收集的数据可以作为合理设计β-胡萝卜素包封结构的基础，在那里新的成分，特别是天然的水胶体，是应用的。
