Fabrication of protein nanomaterials as delivery systems

Bioactive compounds in foods, nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical have been gaining interest due to health benefits, which can help to reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases. Recently, nanoencapsulation have attract attention because it is an efficient and promising approach for protection of bioactive compounds, and delivery them to the target physiological sites for controlled release and improvement absorption. Food proteins are promising materials to be fabricated into a variety of nanostructured delivery systems because of their high nutritional value, good functional properties, and health-benefiting effects. Various techniques and approaches are utilized to prepare nanostructured food protein. This chapter introduces the major techniques for the fabrication of nanoparticles and nanoemulsions from food proteins. The basic principles, advantages, and limitations of the techniques are discussed. The encapsulation and release of bioactive compounds in different nanostructured food proteins are illustrated in specific case studies. Due to the fast growing interest of bioactive encapsulation in various sectors, this chapter is of importance for guiding the development of nanostructured food protein loaded with bioactive ingredients for food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications.