Characteristics and oxidative stability of fish oil nano-liposomes and its application in functional bread

Fish oils are rich source of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids with several health benefits but their application in food products is a challenge due to strong odor and widespread oxidation. Thus, the object of this study was to produce nano-encapsulated fish oil in nano-liposomes to investigate the effect of the addition of 0.0 (control), and 5% (w/w) nano-encapsulated fish oil on the technological and sensory quality of fortified bread. Physical properties and oxidative stability of fish oil nano-liposomes at 25 days in refrigerated condition were determined. The nano-capsules were characterized by their encapsulation efficiency and particle size distributions. Our results revealed a particle size of about 339.2 nm and a Polydispersity Index of 0.426. The nano-encapsulation efficiency of fish oil incorporated in nano-liposomes was measured as 90.12 +/- 0.27%. Nano-encapsulated fish oil showed a better oxidative stability against lipid oxidation in comparison with free (unencapsulated) fish oil. The technological and sensory evaluation indicated that enriched bread with nano-liposomal fish oil had a higher loaf volume of bread than other samples. The addition of nano-liposomal fish oil had no negative effect on bread textural quality and sensory acceptability. So, using of nano-liposomal fish oil as an effective additive for improvement of the nutritional value of bread and its application is suggested for production of other bakery products.