Polysaccharide-Based Nanostructures as Nutraceutical Carriers

The rapidly expanding field of nanotechnology offers an advantage for designing novel systems for the delivery of nutraceuticals. Among numerous materials of significance, polysaccharide-based carriers such as starch, pectin, and cellulose are emerging as an advanced technology for targeted delivery of nutraceuticals due to their renewability, bio-compatibility, and inertness. Moreover, characteristics such as physical and biological properties, specific surface area, low cytotoxicity, biodegradability, unique morphology, and minimal interference make them an excellent targeted delivery system in the form of bio-composites and nanoconjugates. Polysaccharide-based carriers can be designed with desired characteristics to increase bio-availability and bio-stability. They are currently an ideal natural carrier that offers high encapsulation efficiency for vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and secondary metabolites such as phenolic compounds. This chapter highlights the scope, novel trends, advantages, and limitations of polysaccharide-based carriers, along with the emerging technologies related to this field.