Recent advances in plant protein-stabilised emulsion systems encapsulated with bioactive compounds

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Emulsion-based delivery systems enhance the stability, bioaccessibility, and functionality of bioactive compounds.
• Plant proteins, including legume, cereal, nut, and oilseed proteins, are increasingly utilized in various emulsion types like nanoemulsions, double emulsions, and Pickering emulsions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the research progress on plant proteins in emulsion systems.
• To explore the structure-property relationships of different plant proteins and their impact on encapsulation efficiency.
• To highlight the role of plant proteins in designing advanced emulsion delivery platforms.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing current findings on plant proteins in emulsion systems.
• Analysis of relationships between protein sources, structures, emulsifying properties, and encapsulation efficiency.
• Identification of challenges and future research directions.

Main Results:

• Plant proteins play a crucial role in the design of effective emulsion delivery systems.
• Understanding the source and structure of plant proteins is vital for optimizing emulsifying properties and encapsulation efficiency.
• Significant progress has been made in utilizing plant proteins for encapsulating bioactive compounds.

Conclusions:

• Plant proteins are central to developing advanced emulsion delivery systems for bioactive compounds.
• Future directions include in vivo validation, exploring novel protein sources, and applying machine learning for system design.
• Development of multifunctional systems and addressing regulatory bottlenecks are essential for tailored bioactive compound delivery.