Microemulsions as carriers of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
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Keywords

α-linolenic acid
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
microemulsions
microencapsulation
functional foods

How to Cite

1.
Górska A, Krupa A. Microemulsions as carriers of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. mir [Internet]. 31Dec.2016 [cited 29Mar.2024];101:211-9. Available from: https://interrev.com/mir/index.php/mir/article/view/81

Abstract

Design of novel foodstuffs rich in natural bioactive substances is one of the main research field inthe food industry. There are many clinical reports on beneficial effects of either docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on health. In general n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) are significant structural components of cell membranes. Since DHA and EPA represent exogenous fatty acids, their level in the human body depends on the dietary intake.Therefore there is a need to enrich food by bioactive compounds. It has been shown that the application of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as α-linolenic acid in traditional foodstuffs permits to obtain a kind of functional food that can be used to improve both health
and skin condition. However low stability of natural bioactive components limits their application in food, especially on an industrial scale. Due to this fact efforts are made to prepare new functional food formula containing n-3 PUFAs in a stable form. Microencapsulation process is a well known attempt to prevent their oxidation. Preparation of food-grade microemulsions containing polyunsaturated fatty acids to improve the stability and to ensure pleasant sensory properties of food is discussed in the present study.

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