Starch Nanomaterials for Adsorption and Encapsulation

Bioactive compounds exhibit beneficial effects in living organisms, however, their application in medicine and nutrition can be limited due to their instability and low solubility. A promising solution to overcome these drawbacks has been the use of starch nanoparticles (SNPs) as adsorbents and encapsulant materials. The current chapter aims to analyze the use of SNPs as adsorptive and encapsulant materials of bioactive compounds. Electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions have been observed to be the main contributors to the adsorption and encapsulant capacities of SNPs. Nevertheless, SNPs have exhibited limited adsorption and encapsulant capacities of hydrophobic compounds, prompting the use of various chemical modification techniques to enhance their adsorption efficiency.