Wybrane strategie kapsułkowania polifenoli stosowane w celu poprawy ich stabilności

Polyphenols are one of the most numerous and ubiquitous groups of secondary plant metabolites, and constitute an integral part of both human and animal diets. These compounds possess a high spectrum of biological activities, including antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and cardioprotective. A lot of preclinical research and epidemiological data suggests that plant polyphenols reduce the risks of neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis or diabetes and can slow the progression of cancers. These facts sugest that plant polyphenols might act as potential chemopreventive and anti-cancer agents. However, the levels of polyphenols that appear effective in vitro are often of an order of magnitude higher than the concentrations determined in vivo. This is a serious problem, as only a small part of the substance remain available following oral administration, due to insufficient gastric residence time, low permeability and solubility within the gut. An important element is polyphenols instability under conditions encountered in food processing and storage (oxygen, temperature, light), or in the gastrointestinal tract (enzymes, pH, other nutrients), all of which limit the activity of polyphenolic compounds. Another unfortunate trait of polypheonls is their potential unpleasant taste. In order to overcome these drawbacks, various formulation methods have been developed. Among them, encapsulation seems to be a promising technique to improve the effectiveness and the bioactivity of polyphenols. Moreover, it protects the core material from environmental factors. Microcapsules are small particulates that may range from submicron to several millimeters in size. Encapsulation methods can be classified in three groups: physical, physico-chemical, and chemical. The research studies reported in this paper revealed useful strategies to provide remarkable protection against harmful factors of polyphenolic compounds, avoiding the loss in activity and improving their bioavailability.