Natural Bioactives & Nutraceuticals
Valorizing bioactives present in food, natural matrices, and industrial by-products for a healthier future: from extraction to characterization and evaluation of health-promoting effects.
Natural Bioactives and Nutraceuticals at iBET
With the growing prevalence of chronic diseases and the need to feed an ever-increasing global population, innovative solutions are needed within the food and nutrition industries.
At iBET, we address these challenges by pioneering research in the field of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals.
The NB&N research area focuses on the isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds found in food and industry by-products. By studying these compounds and understanding their role in the promotion of human health, we can translate this knowledge into the development of next-generation functional foods and nutraceuticals with targeted health benefits.
Our team focuses on three key areas.
Green Process Technologies for Extraction, Purification and Formulation
Developing eco-friendly processes to isolate and purify natural bioactive compounds and pigments (phytochemicals, proteins, peptides) from fruits (e.g. apples), vegetables (e.g. watercress), plants (e.g. cannabis), other food products (e.g. olive oil) and agrifood industry residues (e.g. olive oil by-products, fruit pomaces).
Furthermore, we utilize formulation techniques, namely microencapsulation, to enhance the stability and bioavailability of these compounds, ensuring their efficacy within functional food and cosmetic products.
Chemical Characterization
We implement and validate rapid screening methods and chromatographic methods associated to mass spectrometry to evaluate the chemical composition of food products and natural extracts. We also identify biomarkers of food quality or sensory attributes (ex. Off-flavours ), biomarkers of food intake and bioactives responsible for health promotion, as well as the presence of contaminants.
Bioaccessibility, Bioavailability and Bioactivity
Understanding how bioactive compounds interact with the human body is crucial for maximizing their health benefits.
In this context, we design Bioassays and Human Intervention Studies to explore how bioactives are released from food matrices, how they are absorbed, transported and eliminated within the digestive system and how they exert bioactive effect. To achieve this, we combine enzymatic assays, advanced cell models and human intervention studies with state-of-the-art analytical tools.
Equipment & Facilities
iBET’s NB&N area is equipped with a dedicated analytical platform for the analysis of bioactive compounds (GC-MS, GCXGC-MS, GC-TQ, HPLC-DAD-UV/ED/FL) and a cell-culture room (laminar flow cabinets, incubators, iBright, LightCycler, microscopes) dedicated to bioassays development.
Moreover, our NB&N team is also supported by iBET’s Technological Platform and Mass Spectrometry Unit.
Related Technologies
Bioactives Extraction & Purification
Bioactives Extraction & Purification
Methodologies used for the extraction and purification of bioactives compounds: Pressurized Liquid Extraction, Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Conventional extraction with biocompatible solvents and eutectic solvents, adsorption process with macroporous resins, chromatographic techniques.
Encapsulation & Micronization
Encapsulation & Micronization
Once extracted, bioactives can be further encapsulated and micronized for further applications. We create microscopic particles (micro/nano scale) that encapsulate the bioactives, offering several benefits: improving solubility, maximizing effectiveness with a controlled and targeted delivery and protecting from degradation (extended shelf life).
Bioaccessibility
Bioaccessibility
Evaluation of the bioaccessibility of foods and supplements using a standardized in vitro digestion method. Gastric and intestinal digested fractions are characterized by chromatographic techniques to identify the main metabolites and bioaccessible compounds.
Bioavailability
Bioavailability
Utilization of Caco-2 cell model and/or co-cultures to evaluate the transport and permeability of bioactives across the intestinal barrier. These co-cultures comprise Caco-2 and HT29MTX cells, and might also include Raji immune cells. This model joins intestinal enterocytes with mucus secretory cells. Human intervention studies are also carried out in collaboration with research centers, clinics, and hospitals to evaluate the bioavailability of bioactive compounds present in foods and nutraceuticals.
Bioactivity
Bioactivity
Comprehensive suite of preclinical assays to assess various functionalities: Antioxidant activity, Anticancer activity, Cardiovascular health, Neuronal Protection, Gut health, Anti-diabetes, Anti-obesity, and skin health.
Human intervention studies are also carried out in collaboration with research centers, clinics, and hospitals to evaluate the effectiveness of bioactive compounds present in foods and nutraceuticals in reducing biomarkers of chronic diseases.
Advanced Analytics supporting Natural Bioactives & Health
Advanced Analytics supporting Natural Bioactives & Health
State of art methodologies based on separative methods (liquid and gas chromatography, capillary electrophoresis) using different detection modes (UV-vis, fluorescence, electrochemical and mass spectrometry) are applied to analyze different compounds (volatile and non-volatile) in several matrices such as food products, plant extracts and nutraceuticals. The target compounds are bioactive components, namely phenolic compounds, carotenoids, sesquiterpenes, among others.
Omics-based analyses are being performed in collaboration with iBET’s Mass Spectrometry Unit to support preclinical assays and human intervention studies investigating the bioavailability and health promoting effect of natural bioactive compounds.
