Food hydrocolloids: Application as functional ingredients to control lipid digestion and bioavailability

One of the most popular research areas in food hydrocolloids over the past decade or so has been their application as functional ingredients to modulate the gastrointestinal fate of foods. In particular, they are being utilized to control the hydrolysis of macronutrients (such as fat, protein, and starch) in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as to alter the pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of hydrophobic bioactive agents, including oil-soluble vitamins (e.g., vitamin A, D, E, and K), nutraceuticals (e.g., carotenoids, phytosterols, curcumin, resveratrol, and quercetin) and healthy lipids (e.g., omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids). Food hydrocolloids may be naturally present in foods (such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, and cereals), they may be added as functional ingredients (such as thickening, gelling, emulsifying or stabilizing agents), or used to construct colloidal delivery systems (such as emulsions, biopolymer nanoparticles or microgels). Hydrocolloids can be used to protect bioactive agents from chemical degradation within foods and beverages during storage, but then increase their bioavailability after consumption. Moreover, they can be used to target the delivery of bioactive agents to particular sites in the gastrointestinal tract or to modulate their release profile. Food hydrocolloids are therefore versatile natural ingredients for the formulation of a new generation of functional food products designed to enhance human health and wellbeing. This article provides a review of the application of food hydrocolloids, mainly proteins and polysaccharides, for modulating the gastrointestinal fate of functional foods, with an emphasis on their ability to control macronutrient digestion and bioactive bioavailability.