Enhancing nutraceutical bioavailability by controlling the composition and structure of gastrointestinal contents: Emulsion-based delivery and excipient systems

The oral bioavailability of hydrophobic bioactives can be improved using food matrices that breakdown within the gastrointestinal tract to form colloidal structures capable of altering bioaccessibility, absorption, and/or transformation. Emulsions are particularly suitable for this purpose because their compositions, structures, and properties can be controlled, and they are already widely used in foods. The bioavailability of isolated bioactives can be improved by incorporating them within emulsion-based delivery systems (EDS), while the bioavailability of bioactives in whole foods can be improved by ingesting them with emulsion-based excipient systems (EES). This review discusses the design, fabrication, and utilization of EDS and EES.