Review of encapsulation technologies for bioactive compounds in functional foods

Bioactive compounds have attracted considerable attention for their health-promoting properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and disease-preventive effects. However, their practical application in food and nutraceutical systems is often limited by poor physicochemical stability, low solubility, sensitivity to environmental stress, and low bioavailability during gastrointestinal digestion. Encapsulation technologies have emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these limitations by protecting bioactive compounds from degradation, enhancing their stability, and enabling controlled and targeted release. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advanced encapsulation materials and techniques used for improving the delivery efficiency of bioactive compounds. Various encapsulating materials, including polysaccharides, proteins, and lipid-based systems, are discussed in terms of their structural properties, encapsulation mechanisms, and functional advantages. The article further highlights emerging encapsulation technologies, such as ionic gelation, electrospinning, complex coacervation, and liposome-assisted delivery systems, which have shown significant potential to improve the encapsulation efficiency, stability, and bioaccessibility of sensitive bioactive compounds. In addition, recent advances in targeted and stimuli-responsive delivery systems are explored, emphasizing their ability to release bioactive compounds under specific physiological conditions. Advanced encapsulation strategies provide effective solutions to enhance the stability, bioavailability, and functional performance of bioactive compounds, supporting the development of functional foods and nutraceutical products.