ME promotes the delivery of vitamins and minerals to
foods mainly by preventing their interaction with other
food components; for example, iron bioavailability is
severely affected by interactions with food ingredients
(e.g. tannins, phytates and polyphenols). Additionally, iron
catalyzes the oxidative degradation of fatty acids and
vitamins. Liposome technology is often used to deliver
fluid food products, as it reduces the ability of iron to react
with food components.By encapsulating calciumlactate in
lecithin liposomes, it was possible to fortify soymilk with
levels of calcium equivalent to those found in cow’s milk
[29], while preventing undesirable calcium-protein reactions.
As with probiotics, the co-encapsulation of vitamins
and minerals could be beneficial. Thus, the presence of
calcium in a hydrophilic phase and vitamins A or D in a
hydrophobic phase could promote calcium absorption in
the GI tract. In one such example, encapsulation of
ascorbic acid in a liposome together with vitamin E produced
a synergistic antioxidant effect [10]. In this case, the
vitamin E is incorporated into the liposome wall, while the
ascorbic acid is entrapped in the aqueous interior.