Recent advances in emulsion-based delivery approaches for curcumin: From encapsulation to bioaccessibility

Background Curcumin has been widely acknowledged for its health-promoting effects. However, its application is often limited by its poor water solubility and biochemical/structural degradation during physiological transit that restricts its bioavailability. Emulsion based approaches have attracted the most research attention to encapsulate curcumin and improve its stability, bioaccessibility and bioavailability. Scope and approach This review summarizes the recent advances in application of different oil-in-water emulsion-based approaches, such as, conventional emulsions (surfactants-, protein- and protein-polysaccharide-stabilized emulsions), nanoemulsions, and Pickering emulsions that have been specifically used to deliver curcumin. Particular emphasis is given to factors affecting curcumin solubility, change in crystalline structure of curcumin upon dispersion and encapsulation efficiency. Changes in the droplet size and emulsion stability during in vitro oral-to-gastrointestinal digestion are discussed, with clear focus on the bioaccessibility of the encapsulated curcumin. Key findings and conclusions Key factors that influence curcumin delivery include emulsion droplet size, oil composition, volume fraction, dispersion conditions of curcumin in the oil phase and the type of interfacial materials. Nanoemulsions have been the preferred choice for delivery of curcumin up to now. Although scarce in literature, emulsions stabilized by edible Pickering particles as shown by recent evidence are effective in protecting curcumin in an in vitro gastrointestinal setting due to their high coalescence stability. Further studies with emulsions stabilized by food-grade particles and accurate tracking of the physiological fate (in vitro to human trials) of different emulsion-based delivery vehicles are essential for rational designing of curcumin-rich functional foods with high bioaccessibility