Nutraceuticals formulations

Over time, formulations have been enhanced to improve tolerance and meet specific patient needs. For example, nutraceuticals or pharmaconutrients are added to modify the disease process or improve clinical outcome however, these health claims are not regulated by the FDA. 

The successful application of food-grade biopolymers in the formulation of the next generation of smart delivery systems requires sound insight into the various intermolecular and colloidal interactions involved in the food matrix, along with some knowledge of the bioavailability in vivo. Furthermore, the impact of incorporated nutraceuticals on all the properties of a formulated functional food — appearance, physical/chemical stability, texture, mouthfeel, taste, flavour, bioavailability, and health impact — need to be simultaneously considered and addressed in order to achieve a balanced and acceptable solution for consumers. 

The health benefits of food and food constituents is currently gaining much attention. New biotechnological techniques allow the enrichment of food with micro- and macro-nutrients such as rice with high levels of vitamin A, tomatoes with extra flavonoids and also milk with additional calcium. These frmctional foods are often coimected with health benefits. Specific food constituents in a pharmaceutical formulation are called nutraceuticals. These are frequently associated with medical claims. 

The structure, therapeutic applications, dosage range, and available formulations for the major nutraceuticals are shown in Table 1. These major nutraceuticals can also be categorized according to their origin. Table 2 lists the origin of the major nutraceuticals. 

Table 1 Therapeutic applications, dosage levels, and available formulations for the major nutraceuticals...

As nutraceuticals are not classified as medicinal products, their manufacture is often not legally regulated. Nutraceuticals are widely available for sale, and the many suppliers may formulate their products differently this leads to variations between products of different manufacturers. Products available for purchase are not necessarily of the same quality as those used in reported clinical trials. For effective and safe use, the products must contain the same active ingredient, at the same concentration, have known bioavailability per delivery system, and state detailed and correct information on packaging or patient leaflet. However, possibly due to purchase from non-pharmaceutical sources such as the Internet, there is often little information on efficacy, drug interactions, effect of long-term use, abrupt discontinuation, or potential adverse effects available to patients. 

Like tablets, capsules are mainly used for dogs and cats, but there are some vitamin and mineral supplement capsules formulated for cattle. There are three main treatment areas using capsules as the dosage form nutraceuticals, vitamins and minerals, and antimicrobials. 

In summary, the above studies and processes show the versatility in utilizing critical fluid media for modifying a target nutraceutical for functional food use. In the case of PPLs, the above studies illustrate how they could be prepared for rapid dissolution in food formulations or to encapsulate them for sustained delivery rates, or, alternatively, to use PPL-based liposomes and so on to encapsulate nutraceutical ingredients. Obvious extensions to other target nutraceuticals follow, and application of the technology outside of its traditional niche in the pharmaceutical industry seemed assured. 

The applications of liposomes in foods fulfill similar requirements to their applications in pharmaceuticals, and have been focused in the following categories formulation aid, processing, preservation, stabilizer, nutritional supplement, and nutraceutical carrier. 

The term nutraceutical - a portmanteau of nutrition and pharmaceutical - can refer to any supplement, health product, or formulated food intended to provide prevention against chronic disease or promote general well-being. In this sense, they are often considered similar to supplements. Both of these categories have current and potential future utility for industrial-scale algal production of wild-type and/or engineered strains. 

Enhanced water solubility of dried products, which could foster the powder formulation process, as well as enhance oral assimilation of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical powdery products... 

Ayurvedic formulations which contain C. forskohlii as one of the ingredients, standardized extracts of C. forskohlii have been marketed in the recent days as nutraceutical supplements mainly for weight loss. Several analytical methods were developed for the quantitation of forskolin in crude extracts as well as in formulations. There is one clinical study in obese men indicating the efficacy of forskolin in inducing weight loss, promoting lean body mass, bone mass, and increasing serum free testosterone levels [16]. 

There are also reports concerning attempts to formulate and develop new pharmaceutical/nutraceutical products. 

Incompatibility between the food matrix and the functional ingredient functional ingredients come in a wide variety of molecular forms which, consequently, lead to differences in physicochemical properties. Therefore, different delivery systems are usually needed depending on the specific molecular and physicochemical concerns associated with each nutraceutical or functional component. An edible delivery system must facilitate the incorporation of the ingredient into the food system. When choosing the food vehicle used to add the chosen bioactive, it is important to consider its solubility in the food matrix and its interactions with other ingredients in the food formulation. 

---