Summary
This comprehensive review examines food-grade oral delivery systems for hepatoprotective bioactive compounds derived from food sources, addressing the challenge of poor oral stability and bioavailability that limits their functional food applications. The authors synthesise design principles for protein-based, polysaccharide, lipid and emulsion carriers, alongside emerging food-derived structural systems, and summarise methods for evaluating hepatic exposure and bioavailability. The review concludes that bridging advanced delivery technologies with practical industrial constraints—including large-scale production, sensory quality, and regulatory compliance—is essential to develop next-generation liver health-promoting functional foods with enhanced nutritional efficacy.
Regional applicability
The review is not geographically specific and addresses universal principles of food-grade delivery system design and industrial application relevant to functional food development globally, including within the United Kingdom regulatory and food manufacturing context. Transferability to UK practice depends on alignment with UK and EU food law (particularly the Food Standards Act 1999 and retained EU regulation on novel foods and health claims), which the review does not explicitly address.
Key measures
Oral stability and bioavailability of food-derived bioactive substances; carrier system types and design principles; liver exposure evaluation methods; machine learning applications in carrier optimisation
Outcomes reported
This review synthesises research on food-grade oral delivery systems (protein-based, polysaccharide, lipid and emulsion systems) designed to enhance the stability and bioavailability of hepatoprotective bioactive substances for nutritional intervention in liver oxidative stress. The review evaluates assessment methods including simulated digestion, intestinal transport, and hepatocyte uptake, and discusses machine learning applications in carrier design and process optimisation.
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