Effect of food-grade biopolymers coated Pickering emulsions on carotenoids' stability during processing, storage, and passage through the gastrointestinal tract

Abstract

The use of Pickering emulsions (PE) as a delivery system of carotenoids and related hydrophobic compounds has arisen great interest in the scientific community due to their nontoxicity, safety, and long-term stability against different environmental conditions. In this line, designing suitable food-grade biopolymers for their use as stabilizers in carotenoid-loaded PE is an emerging research trend with many challenges. Thus, this review describes the recent advances in using proteins, polysaccharides, and protein–polysaccharide complexes as stabilizing agents of carotenoid-loaded PE. Besides that, this review provides a critical updated understanding of the effects of processing and storage on the stability of carotenoids encapsulated in PE, which are critical to support PE applications. The sustained-release behavior of PE in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is a hot topic that was also discussed, as well as the challenges for the applications of PE in the food industry.