ABSTRACT
The scientific and industrial interest in functional foods, in which bioactive compounds are incorporated, has been significantly reinforced by the increasing demand from consumers for health promotion and disease prevention through diet and nutrition. The main bioactive compounds for food functionalization include several classes of compounds that have been discovered to positively affect health. The particles obtained on encapsulation may have a size ranging from a few nanometers to a few millimeters, with smaller sizes preferred to increase the specific surface for the release of the encapsulated compounds as well as the interaction with biological tissues. Micronutrients are different from macronutrients because they are necessary only in very small quantities. Nevertheless, micronutrients are essential for good health, and a deficiency can cause serious health problems. Prebiotics and probiotics are an area of growing scientific interest for the development and production of functional foods.
