Natural and synthetic phenolipids as a strategy to develop healthier foods: from model to real food systems

As food-related health problems become more common, there is a growing awareness of the need for a healthy diet that enhances the assimilation of beneficial bioactive compounds like polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Phenolipids (conjugation of a lipid molecule and a phenolic compound) could provide an effective solution to the high susceptibility of lipids to oxidation and the poor assimilation of polyphenols due to their hydrophilicity. The PhD project aimed to develop a phenolipid-based delivering system able to counteract lipid oxidation, considering both synthetic and natural phenolipids. Two ferulic acid derivatives were synthesized, namely butyl ferulate and octyl ferulate. In the context of a circular economy perspective, natural phenolipids (alkylresorcinols) were isolated from wheat bran, the most representative by-products of the milling industry, contributing to the reduction of the food production environmental impact. Both synthetic and natural phenolipids were firstly tested in oil-in-water emulsions, also verifying the effect of their concentration and pH on their performance. The oxidative stability of the system was greatly improved by both natural and synthetic phenolipids, especially under acidic conditions, and at a concentration ten times lower than antioxidants typically used in the food industry. Alkylresorcinols were then tested in a real food system (beef patties), where they were compared with a synthetic antioxidant (sodium ascorbate). Again, phenolipids were able to retard lipid oxidation, with ten times more efficacy than sodium ascorbate. The next steps include studying the phenolipids during gastro-intestinal digestion and in cell culture systems. Considering the challenges to increase the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds, the developed delivery system could lead to effective, innovative, and sustainable solutions for creating foods with beneficial effects on human health.