Bioactive Compounds in Functional Meals: Bioavailability Challenges, Food Technology Approaches, and Health Perspectives—A Narrative Review

Summary

This narrative review synthesises evidence on how bioactive compounds in functional meals deliver health benefits, emphasising that efficacy depends on multiple interconnected factors beyond mere compound concentration, including food matrix interactions, processing methods, digestion stability, and host factors. The authors identify microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation as emerging technologies capable of enhancing bioactive stability and targeted release. The review calls for standardised methodologies and well-designed human studies to substantiate functional meal claims and support evidence-based development of personalised nutritional strategies.

Regional applicability

The review is geography-agnostic and applicable across regions including the United Kingdom, where functional foods and meal systems are increasingly marketed to consumers. UK researchers and food industry practitioners would benefit from the standardised methodological frameworks and technology guidance proposed, particularly as functional meal innovation expands within UK food manufacturing and retail sectors.

Key measures

Bioavailability of bioactive compounds; food matrix effects; stability during processing and digestion; intestinal absorption; microbiota-mediated transformation; post-absorptive metabolism; effectiveness of microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation technologies

Outcomes reported

The review examined how bioactive compounds in functional meals achieve physiological benefits through food matrix interactions, bioavailability, and processing. It assessed cardiometabolic, anti-inflammatory, gastrointestinal, and neuroprotective effects, and identified emerging technologies to improve bioactive stability and absorption.

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