Tiny Carriers, Big Impact: A Review of Nanomaterial Systems for β-Carotene Bioavailability

β-Carotene (βC) is esteemed for its antioxidant attributes and its formidable anti-cancer efficacy, rendering it an indispensable bioactive constituent within the alimentary sector. Nonetheless, the pronounced hydrophobic nature of βC curtails its reactivity and bioaccessibility in its crystalline guise. Due to its hydrocarbon composition, βC exhibits pronounced lipophilicity, culminating in its aqueous insolubility. Research delineates that a mere 20% of βC in its crystalline state is bioaccessible post-ingestion via unprocessed vegetables. To surmount these impediments, an array of non-thermal and mechanical techniques has been harnessed to encapsulate βC, thus preserving the integrity of the compound. The direct amalgamation of such bioactives into edibles poses a formidable challenge, necessitating their safeguarding until their efficacious assimilation within the human organism. Encapsulation emerges as a superior modality, ensuring the preservation of βC en route to its designated locus of activity. This methodology provides a bulwark for sensitive bioactives against deleterious influences, including oxidative stress, humidity, luminosity, and thermal extremes. The deployment of nanocarriers, encompassing polymer nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanocarriers (SLNs), and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), has mitigated these quandaries by amplifying the solubility and biostability of βC. This critical review scrutinizes a spectrum of nanocarriers investigated for the precise conveyance and modulated liberation of βC, accentuating the strides in this domain and their prospective implementations.