Bioactive compounds are mostly prone to decomposition during the production process, storage, and severe gastrointestinal conditions. Therefore, their potential application as functional ingredients in many food products has opened a new horizon in designing novel food-grade delivery systems. Protein-based delivery vehicles have been extensively applied for this purpose. The stability of such systems is substantially affected by destabilizing conditions such as pH change and high ionic strength, thereby affecting bioavailability and stability of the encapsulated bioactive compound. Protein-polysaccharide Maillard-type conjugates are one of the latest food-applicable carriers and promising attractive methods of delivering nutraceuticals. Recently, these types of carriers have been introduced to improve the bioavailability and stability of nutraceuticals and nutrients and to create novel functional foods. The present paper reviews the most recent potential applications of Maillard conjugates for designing delivery systems; i.e., oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion, nanoemulsion, double emulsions, nanoparticles, nanogels, and microencapsulation. It also highlights the structures/compositions of Maillard conjugates used for delivery in food. Moreover, the gastrointestinal fate of Maillard conjugate-based bioactiveloaded delivery systems has been discussed.

Keywords