Liposomes vs. chitosomes: Encapsulating food bioactives

The chemical and physical characteristics of food bioactives often make their incorporation into different matrices very difficult due to their instability and easy degradation. Besides, these compounds are degraded in the gastrointestinal tract and do not reach the intestine to be absorbed. The encapsulation of these ingredients in liposomes or chitosan-coated liposomes (chitosomes) could improve the system stability and enhance the bioaccessibility of the bioactives. The advances of encapsulating food bioactives in liposomes or chitosomes are presented in this review in order to discuss the differences and advantages of each delivery system. This study emphasizes the results reported in the literature regarding the preparation methods, particles structure, and characterisation such as in vitro and in vivo digestibility studies. Liposomes and chitosomes are used to encapsulate lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactives. Chitosan can be complexed with a cross-linking agent to form a three-dimensional network and act as coating material for liposomes by electrostatic deposition. Chitosan addition to liposomes does not affect the structure of the vesicles and its incorporation can improve the encapsulation efficiency of the delivery systems. Chitosomes proved to be more stable to food processing and digestion than liposomes, enhancing the bioaccessibility of bioactives such as polyphenols, carotenoids and vitamins.