The Challenges and Strategies to Add Postbiotic Components into Food Matrices

The matrix of foods and beverages (fermented or/and non-fermented), especially those considered a regular part of the daily diet, are genuine options to add postbiotic ingredients for carrying them. Along with increasing consumer knowledge about the health-promoting effects of functional foods, their demands rise. Hence, in the industrial sector, its promotion is also appreciated. Over the past two decades, as researchers have focused on bioactive compounds, many of these compounds have been identified. Still, despite extensive research, a small number of these compounds have been successfully incorporated into the functional food matrix. It indicates the need for more knowledge and investigation to study the nature of the bioactive compound and high-performance biotechnology methods to using these compounds in the food industry. In this case, postbiotic compounds were also in the early stages of their entry into the food industry, and for a successful presence in this field, they face technological, legal, and commercial challenges. Consequently, understanding the characteristics of postbiotic compounds and nanostructure carriers is essential for designing the best delivery system. This chapter provides an overview of the challenges and strategies for adding postbiotic compounds into the food matrix.

Keywords: Biotechnology, Bioavailability, Delivery system, Food industry, Functional foods, Nanoencapsulation, Postbiotics.