An article published in the Journal of Food Science explores the benefits and current potential limitations of employing mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) in human food. MSPs, structures of silicon dioxide (SiO2) arranged so that they create pores of 2 to 50 nm, have attracted increasing interest as supports in the design of controlled delivery materials. Specifically, MSPs have demonstrated to have applications in the food sector, where they could be employed as catalysts in the synthesis of nutrients and bioactive molecules, in sensor technology, and also as carriers in the design of smart delivery systems. Of these applications, the design of smart delivery systems is viewed as challenging given the possibility of improving the handling and utilization of different bioactive molecules or functional ingredients, and the subsequent formulation of functional food.
Delivery systems based on gated MSPs show “zero delivery” until an adequate stimulus is present and triggers gate opening and the cargo is released. Encapsulation of bioactive molecules in gated MSPs may improve biological stability, facilitate component handling, mask unpleasant sensorial properties, and modulate the bioaccessibility of target molecules along the gastrointestinal tract.
This review reports the most recent research into the design of gated mesoporous siliceous materials for controlled release along the gastrointestinal tract using physiologic stimuli. It also highlights the possibilities of naturally occurring stimulus along the gastrointestinal tract that could be used to develop new gated systems. Nevertheless, given their novelty, the incorporation of gated-MSPs into food still poses major challenges (that is, technological, toxicological, legal, sociological, and so on) that need to be overcome by researchers and regulatory bodies. Researchers have the task of evaluating the potential hazards of MSPs-gated systems in human health and the environment, and to design systems to be triggered in the gastrointestinal tract. Collaborative work from those groups will be essential in forthcoming years to generate confidence in industry and consumers.
