ReviewMicroencapsulation of natural antioxidants for food application - The specific case of coffee antioxidants - A review

•Coffee antioxidants are available and linked to health promoting characteristics.•Microencapsulation alleviates coffee antioxidants limitations for food application.•Careful design of microparticles is essential for further food incorporation.•Technological and market issues are critical aspects in functional food development.

BackgroundFunctional foods fortified with antioxidants are gaining more popularity since consumption alone of foods naturally rich in antioxidants is insufficient to reduce oxidative stress associated with various diseases. Despite their beneficial effects, natural antioxidants present in coffee are sensitive to heat, light and oxygen, limiting their application in the food industry. Although microencapsulation is able to protect the antioxidant from degradation, mask its taste and control its release, the process of microparticles incorporation affects the original food properties.Scope and approachA carefully designed delivery system is essential to produce sensory appealing food, guarantee the delivery of the bioactive ingredient, prevent interactions with other food components and overcome problems encountered during food manufacturing and digestion. This review discusses the implementation of microencapsulation as a delivery system for coffee antioxidants, focusing on the critical aspects of microparticles food incorporation.Key findings and conclusionsThe development of microparticles containing coffee antioxidants for food applications should consider technological issues (such as antioxidant bioavailability, food manufacturing process and product final properties) as well as regulatory standards, economic feasibility and consumer acceptability. Further studies regarding the aforementioned parameters are needed in order to design suitable microparticles for functional foods.