Encapsulation for Improving in Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion of Plant Polyphenols and Their Applications in Food Products

Plant polyphenols, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, and lignins, are considered health-promoting compounds as they have the potential to reduce the risk of several chronic diseases. Nevertheless, these compounds are sensitive to gastrointestinal digestion conditions, which results in their low bioavailability. Encapsulation technology has been increasingly utilized in the food industry in order to improve the stability of bioactive compounds. The important factors affecting the quality of micro- or nanocapsules are the preparation techniques and the types of wall (or carrier) materials. This review presents an overview of the recent studies on the evaluation of bioaccessibility of plant polyphenols and their micro- or nanocapsules, using in vitro gastrointestinal models to study their absorption and bioavailability. Additionally, the bioaccessibility of the encapsulated plant polyphenols incorporated in food products is also highlighted in this review.

Automated summary

Plant polyphenols are health-promoting compounds that have the potential to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, but their bioavailability is low. Encapsulation technology improves their stability, with preparation techniques and material types being key factors. This review summarizes recent studies on the evaluation of bioaccessibility of plant polyphenols and their micro- or nanocapsules using in vitro gastrointestinal models, and highlights the bioaccessibility of encapsulated plant polyphenols in food products.