Challenges for the Delivery of Long-Chain n-3 Fatty Acids in Functional Foods

Abstract

Extensive research has shown that increased consumption of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFAs), namely α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may lower the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. Given that Western diets are deficient in n-3 LCPUFAs, enrichment of food products is seen as an alternative for increasing the intake of these fatty acids. However, because of the high instability of these fatty acids to oxidative deterioration, enrichment of foods with n-3 LCPUFAs has been technically challenging. This review provides an overview of different technical approaches that have been taken to overcome oxidation-related problems. This review also looks at the challenges faced by health organizations, food manufacturers, and food scientists for the delivery of long-chain n-3 fatty acids in functional foods.

Inhibitory Effect of Dihydrosphingosine with α-Tocopherol on Volatile Formation during the Autoxidation of Polyunsaturated Triacylglycerols

“…The rapid formation of volatile aldehydes is the most serious challenge that limits the addition of fish oil to general food products. Various natural antioxidants, including tocopherols, ascorbic acid, and rosemary extracts, have been used to prevent volatile formation in fish oil oxidation; however, a satisfactory effect has not yet been achieved 5 . Thus, it is important to evaluate the inhibitory effect of antioxidants on volatile compounds formation in practical use.…”

“…However, fish oil is highly susceptible to oxidation, which causes undesirable flavors and loss of the functionality of n-3 PUFA. Natural antioxidants are often added to protect EPA and DHA from oxidative deterioration 4,5 . Because of their low cost, synthetic antioxidants have been widely used; however, consumer preferences for natural foods and the potential toxicological effects of synthetic antioxidants have prompted the food industry to search for more effective natural antioxidants 6,7 .…”

Fosfolípidos de origen marino: una nueva alternativa para la suplementación con ácidos grasos omega-3

“…Estos microorganismos cuando son cultivados en condiciones adecuadas (bioreactores que generan gran cantidad de biomasa) permiten obtener fosfolípidos con alta proporción de DHA y AA, actualmente utilizados en el enriquecimiento de fórmulas sustituto de leche materna para la alimentación de lactantes y también productos para los individuos mayores (16). Especies como Cryptheconium, Mortierella y Schizochytrium, son utilizadas industrialmente para la producción de FM.…”

“…Estos aceites se pueden encapsular (cápsulas blandas, muy comunes) (15), microencapsular (16) e incluso nanoencapsular (17). La encapsulación es la forma más habitual y organolépticamente menos compleja para aportar EPA + DHA, pero no es fácilmente aceptada por todos por el tamaño de las cápsulas (contienen hasta 3 gr de aceite), sobre todo por los más pequeños y los más ancianos.…”

Coacervation Processes

“…technology offers numerous advantages over spray drying for protecting high-value and labile functional ingredients, such as mild preparation conditions (neither organic solvent nor drastic temperatures required), high core loading level (up to 99%), high shell integrity, high encapsulation efficiency, and excellent controlled-release characteristics, because the resulting microcapsules are water immiscible (Gouin, 2004;Jin et al, 2007;Beindorff and Zuidam, 2010;Kralovec et al, 2012;Taneja and Singh, 2012;Zhang et al, 2012). The coacervation process is affected by multiple factors, including the nature of shell materials and core ingredients (molecular weight, conformation, and charge density), their composition, total solid percentage, as well as the aqueous conditions, such as pressure, shearing, temperature, pH, ionic strength, etc.…”