Engineering of Bionanocapsules for Controlled Release

In this project microcapsules will be developed that consist of a hollow shell containing functional food additives. The contents of the capsules have to be released in the lower gastrointestinal tract by a single or multiple trigger to circumvent deactivation in the stomach. The aim of the project is to design and test possible shell materials, which can for example be surfactant or organogelator stabilized oils, or food-grade (bio)polymers. Important factors are the uniformity of the particles and thickness of the shells. Therefore, microchannel technology will be used to produce these particles.

Important factors for the timely release are the shell thickness and response times to triggers like pH, presence of specific enzymes or temperature. This project will be carried out in close cooperation with industrial partners for evaluation of both research and economic perspectives. The project is subsidized by the MicroNed program.