Protection and controlled release of vitamin C by different micro/nanocarriers

Ascorbic acid, known as vitamin C, is an important antioxidant and food ingredient, and highly sensitive to environmental conditions, which makes its incorporation into food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products more difficult. The evaluation of its nano/microencapsulation enables the improvement of its stability and controlled release. There are various investigations regarding ascorbic acid encapsulation; however, a deep study related to the scale-up of encapsulation process, its application into food products and digestibility study are still needed. This review highlights the main physicochemical and health properties of vitamin C, recent advances of its encapsulation into micro/nanocarriers, and application in food products. Also, the controlled release and bioavailability of encapsulated forms within different carriers is underlined. The results of published studies clearly show that vitamin C can be successfully protected within micro/nanoencapsulation systems and it can be applied as an efficient ingredient in the formulation of various food products such as bakery goods.

Automated summary

Ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C, is an important antioxidant and food ingredient. Its incorporation into various products is challenging due to its sensitivity to environmental conditions. Encapsulation technology offers a solution by improving its stability and controlled release. This review discusses the physicochemical and health properties of vitamin C, recent advances in its encapsulation, and its application in food products. The results of published studies show that micro/nanoencapsulation systems effectively protect and deliver vitamin C for use as an efficient ingredient in food products.