The Research Group of Food Colloids and Nanotechnology, School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Adv Colloid Interface Sci. 2021 Jun;292:102432. doi: 10.1016/j.cis.2021.102432. Epub 2021 Apr 27.
Nanoencapsulation of hydrophobic nutraceuticals with food ingredients has become one of topical research subjects in food science and pharmaceutical fields. To fabricate food protein-based nano-architectures as nanovehicles is one of effective strategies or approaches to improve water solubility, stability, bioavailability and bioactivities of poorly soluble or hydrophobic nutraceuticals. Milk proteins or their components exhibit a great potential to assemble or co-assemble with other components into a variety of nano-architectures (e.g., nano-micelles, nanocomplexes, nanogels, or nanoparticles) as potential nanovehicles for encapsulation and delivery of nutraceuticals. This article provides a comprehensive review about the state-of-art knowledge in utilizing milk proteins to assemble or co-assemble into a variety of nano-architectures as promising encapsulation and delivery nano-systems for hydrophobic nutraceuticals. First, a brief summary about composition, structure and physicochemical properties of milk proteins, especially caseins (or casein micelles) and whey proteins, is presented. Then, the disassembly and reassembly behavior of caseins or whey proteins into nano-architectures is critically reviewed. For caseins, casein micelles can be dissociated and further re-associated into novel micelles, through pH- or high hydrostatic pressure-mediated disassembly and reassembly strategy, or can be directly formed from caseinates through a reassembly process. In contrast, the assembly of whey protein into nano-architectures usually needs a structural unfolding and subsequent aggregation process, which can be induced by heating, enzymatic hydrolysis, high hydrostatic pressure and ethanol treatments. Third, the co-assembly of milk proteins with other components into nano-architectures is also summarized. Last, the potential and effectiveness of assembled milk protein nano-architectures, including reassembled casein micelles, thermally induced whey protein nano-aggregates, α-lactalbumin nanotubes or nanospheres, co-assembled milk protein-polysaccharide nanocomplexes or nanoparticles, as nanovehicles for nutraceuticals (especially those hydrophobic) are comprehensively reviewed. Due to the fact that milk proteins are an important part of diets for human nutrition and health, the review is of crucial importance not only for the development of novel milk protein-based functional foods enriched with hydrophobic nutraceuticals, but also for providing the newest knowledge in the utilization of food protein assembly behavior in the nanoencapsulation of nutraceuticals.
将疏水性营养保健品包埋于食品成分中已成为食品科学和制药领域的热门研究课题之一。作为有效的策略或方法之一，构建食品蛋白基纳米结构作为纳米载体可以提高疏水性或难溶性营养保健品的水溶性、稳定性、生物利用度和生物活性。乳蛋白或其成分具有与其他成分组装或共组装成各种纳米结构（例如纳米胶束、纳米复合物、纳米凝胶或纳米颗粒）的巨大潜力，可作为疏水性营养保健品包埋和递送的潜在纳米载体。本文全面综述了利用乳蛋白组装或共组装成各种纳米结构作为有前途的疏水性营养保健品包埋和递送纳米系统的最新知识。首先，简要概述了乳蛋白（特别是酪蛋白（或酪蛋白胶束）和乳清蛋白）的组成、结构和物理化学性质。然后，批判性地综述了酪蛋白或乳清蛋白解组装和再组装成纳米结构的行为。对于酪蛋白，通过 pH 或高静水压介导的解组装和再组装策略，酪蛋白胶束可以解离并进一步再形成新的胶束，或者可以通过再组装过程直接从酪蛋白酸钠形成。相比之下，乳清蛋白组装成纳米结构通常需要结构展开和随后的聚集过程，这可以通过加热、酶水解、高静水压和乙醇处理来诱导。第三，还总结了乳蛋白与其他成分共组装成纳米结构的情况。最后，全面综述了组装的乳蛋白纳米结构的潜力和有效性，包括再组装的酪蛋白胶束、热诱导的乳清蛋白纳米聚集体、α-乳白蛋白纳米管或纳米球、共组装的乳蛋白-多糖纳米复合物或纳米颗粒作为疏水性营养保健品（特别是疏水性营养保健品）的纳米载体。由于乳蛋白是人类营养和健康饮食的重要组成部分，因此，该综述不仅对开发富含疏水性营养保健品的新型乳蛋白基功能性食品具有重要意义，而且为利用食品蛋白组装行为在营养保健品的纳米包埋中的最新知识提供了重要参考。
