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Background: The search for technological applications for oils has been growing, largely due to their potential nutritional and economic applications. Encapsulation makes it possible to reduce the disadvantages of oils, such as physical instability or thermodynamics, or to improve their technological properties, enabling their use in various industrial areas. Nanoencapsulated oils have the potential to improve oil bioavailability and achieve controlled release and are able to target bioactive compounds with greater precision than microencapsulated oils. Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the primary characteristics and profiles of the technological prospection of oil nanoparticles. Results: Exponential growth in patent filing was noted with a peak in 2017, with China filing the highest numbers of patents. Regarding the area of application, the food industry was most common followed by the pharmaceutical industry. The most commonly used terms in patent documents on the subject were nanoemulsion and nanoparticle. The most commonly used oil, technique, wall materials and emulsifiers were soybean oil; emulsification; chitosan and lecithin; and Span 80, Tween 80 and Tween 40, respectively. The obtained articles were typically patent documents. The main depositor was Jiangnan University, and most inventors filed the same number of patent documents. Conclusion: Nanoencapsulation of oils has many known advantages that have been widely published in the literature and used by industry. There is a trend in the growth of patent document deposits and related scientific publications, indicating that many innovations have been made and highlighting the importance of oil nanoencapsulation.

Background: Edible oils have gained the interest of several industrial sectors for the different health benefits they offer, such as the supply of bioactive compounds and essential fatty acids. Microencapsulation is one of the techniques that has been adopted by industries to minimize the degradation of oils, facilitating their processing. Objective: To evaluate the intellectual property related to patent documents referring to microencapsulated oils used in foods. Methods and Results: This prospective study investigated the dynamics of patents filed in the Espacenet and National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) databases, and it mapped technological developments in microencapsulation in comparison with scientific literature. The years 2015 and 2018 showed the greatest growth in the number of patents filed in the Espacenet and INPI databases, respectively with China leading the domains of origin, inventors, and owners of microencapsulation technology. The largest number of applications of microcapsules were observed in the food industry, and the foods containing microencapsulated oils were powdered seasonings, dairy products, rice flour, nutritional formulae, pasta, nutritional supplements, and bread. The increase in oxidative stabilities of oils was the most cited objective to microencapsulate oils. Spray drying was the most widely used microencapsulation technique, and maltodextrin, gum arabic, and modified starch were the most widely used wall materials. Conclusion: Microencapsulation of oils has been expanding over the years and increasing the possibilities of the use of microcapsules, but further investments and development of policies and incentive programs to boost this technology need to be made in less developed countries. For future perspectives, the microencapsulation technique is already a worldwide trend in the food industry, enabling the development of new products to facilitate their insertion in the consumer market.

Background: Essential oils (EOs) are natural substances that serve as sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Objective: This prospecting aimed to understand intellectual property related to patent documents on EOs and nanotechnology. Methods and Results: The nanotechnology growth curve applied to EOs demonstrated that the period from 2015 to 2017 was the most prominent, with a peak in 2016. China is the dominant country, mainly through research developed in the academic area. The food industry area had the highest number of patents filed, highlighting the preservation line. Ginger essential oil, chitosan and Tween 80 were preferentially used as a core, wall material and an emulsifier, respectively. In the market, the use of EOs is more associated with the pharmaceutical/cosmetics industry. In addition, the food industry market is betting more on products based on hemp oil nanocapsules. Conclusion: EO nanotechnology is promising for the development of sustainable food systems. However, this nanotechnology in Brazil has not yet advanced enough in the food industry, although there are government incentives that may change this paradigm in the future. The profile of the patent documents and the products in the market differ between the application and the types of oils. In addition, there is a gap between the volume of patent documents investigated and the transfer of technology to the commercial sector, but this constitution could be better explored, given the properties of EOs.

This study aimed to identify the development of new food products related to family farming from scientific and technological perspectives. Data were collected from the scientific literature and patent documents in the Scopus and National Institute of Industrial Property databases, using a combination of terms, such as “family farm* OR small-hold farm* OR agricultur* farm* labor OR farm* size OR peasant farm* OR agriculture* food* product* AND food* product*”. The asterisk (*) denotes a truncation character used in articles and patent databases to perform a search using multiple terms with the same root but different suffixes. A total of 716 articles and 532 patents were identified. The data from the scientific articles provide an overview of family farming participation in the development of food products and how products that are developed by family farmers resonate with society. The patent documents found showed the development of innovative production technologies, such as machines and production methods to improve the quality of the products sold by family farmers. Therefore, there is great potential for family farming foods to advance in this technological area, with the prospect of increasing publications and new patent applications related to this subject.