Advances in the encapsulation of bioactive compounds present in Brazilian fruits.

Abstract

Recent advances in the encapsulation of bioactive compounds that are found in some important Brazilian fruits are discussedin this paper. Bacuri, Tucumã, Ticazo, Taperebá, Pineapple, and Jabuticaba are examples of typical fruits from the Brazilian Cerrado region, where bioactive compounds known for their sensory attributes such as color, flavor, and aroma, in addition to, their high nutritional values grow increasingly. However, many of the bioactive compounds in the fruits degrade naturally quickly, with functional loss due to several factors. Thus, in the food industry, the immediate need for the development of systems to protect and release the bioactive compounds present in the various fruits is evident. Microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation of bioactive fruit compounds are technologies that prevent degradation and possible functional loss of the bioactive compounds. Different techniques used in encapsulating will be presented, as well as, encapsulation materials and the principal results achieved by various studies of micro and nanoencapsulation.