Background

Phytosterols are naturally occurring steroid alcohols with excellent nutritional values and wellness effects on lowering both the blood cholesterol and the ratio of the low-density to high-density lipoprotein bound cholesterol in serum.

Scope and approach

Recently, fortification of foods with these valuable bioactives have gained much attention. But, the bioavailability of phytosterols is very low due to their water-insolubility and high melting point. Different nanocarriers can overcome these drawbacks of phytosterols and protect them against oxidative and detrimental agents. This paper reviews the state of the art of various nanodelivery systems (lipid-based, surfactant-based, biopolymer-based delivery systems and electrospinning/spraying) considering the most commonly methods used for their preparation, beneficial features and disadvantages and some recent studies reported for applying phytosterols as a core or stabilizing agent into various nanocarriers.

Key findings and conclusions

Many studies have revealed the role of nanoencapsulation in improving the bioavailability of phytosterols. Also, the technological challenges and food safety of nanoencapsulated phytosterols have been investigated. In general, to apply these bioactive compounds into different food products and to prevent their drawbacks, nanocarriers have been proven to be a practical strategy in the food industry.

中文翻译：

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植物甾醇作为不同纳米载体中的核心或稳定剂

背景

植物甾醇是天然存在的甾族醇，具有出色的营养价值和健康功效，可降低血液中的胆固醇以及血清中低密度脂蛋白与高密度脂蛋白结合胆固醇的比率。

范围和方法

最近，用这些有价值的生物活性物质强化食品引起了广泛关注。但是，由于植物甾醇的水不溶性和高熔点，其生物利​​用度非常低。不同的纳米载体可以克服植物甾醇的这些缺点，并保护它们免受氧化剂和有害物质的侵害。本文回顾了各种纳米递送系统（基于脂质，基于表面活性剂，基于生物聚合物的递送系统和静电纺丝/喷涂）的技术现状，并考虑了其制备中最常用的方法，有益的特征和缺点以及最近的一些研究报道用于将植物甾醇作为核心或稳定剂施用到各种纳米载体中。

主要发现和结论

许多研究已经揭示了纳米胶囊在提高植物甾醇生物利用度中的作用。而且，已经研究了纳米胶囊化植物甾醇的技术挑战和食品安全性。通常，将这些生物活性化合物应用于不同的食品中并防止其弊端，纳米载体已被证明是食品工业中的一种实用策略。