As pointed out earlier, ME could be useful in helping to
deliver bioactive ingredients both to the food matrix itself
and to the GI tract. To date, the literature shows that ME
has primarily served for the delivery of bioactives into the
matrix and, as yet, has not been fully explored for more
efficient delivery in the GI tract. Thus, more research
needs to be carried out to investigate the additional
benefits of ME on the stability of bioactive ingredients
in the gastric environment and on the release of bioactive
ingredients into the GI tract. The ME of bioactive
compounds for use in functional foods must increasingly
be examined in a larger context, where functional benefits
could extend from processing to improved assimilation in
the GI tract.