Direct synthesis of phenolic compound-loaded nanoparticles from raw plants for practical applications using a “raw-to-nano” strategy (2023-Now)

Introduction

Phenolic compound-loaded nanoparticles have garnered significant attention for their potential applications in food, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and environmental sustainability. Among these, curcumin-loaded nanoparticles stand out for harnessing the powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties of curcumin. Despite their promise, existing production methods face critical challenges. Traditional approaches typically involve extracting phenolic compounds from plant materials and subsequently incorporating them into biopolymer-based nanocarriers, such as proteins, polysaccharides, or lipids. These multi-step processes are resource-intensive, relying on high energy inputs, generating considerable carbon emissions, and often requiring environmentally hazardous organic solvents. Furthermore, the inefficiencies in these methods lead to substantial waste generation, both in byproducts and in the materials used for creating nanocarriers, further driving up costs and resource demand. These limitations highlight the pressing need for innovative, sustainable, and efficient strategies to produce phenolic compound-loaded nanoparticles at scale.

• Curcumin-loaded nanoparticles for health-promoting milk alternatives

To address these limitations, our research focuses on a novel “raw-to-nano” strategy for synthesizing phenolic compound-loaded nanoparticles directly from raw plant materials. This innovative approach bypasses the need for extensive purification and separation steps, leveraging pH-driven solubilization and in situ encapsulation techniques to efficiently extract and encapsulate phenolic compounds in a single process. By optimizing processing conditions, such as pH, temperature, and oxygen exposure, this method not only improves the yield and stability of encapsulated phenolic compounds but also enhances their bioavailability for practical applications.

The first example is the formulation of curcumin-loaded nanoparticles from raw turmeric, for the development of curcumin-infused milk alternatives (Figure 1). The formulated curcumin-loaded nanoparticles have an average size of 141.3 ± 2.8 nm and a surface charge of −23.3 ± 0.7 mV. Nanoparticles are stabilized by electrostatic interactions at pH 7, but stability decreases under acidic conditions (pH < 5). Based on pH effects and microstructures, a core-shell model is proposed, where acidic polysaccharides coat the surface, and insoluble branched starches form the inner phase, trapping hydrophobic curcumin molecules.

Figure 1. Formulation of curcumin-loaded nanoparticles from raw turmeric via a pH-based “raw-to-nano” strategy.

The “raw-to-nano” strategy aligns with the principles of green chemistry and sustainability, reducing resource consumption and environmental impact while maximizing the functional potential of plant-derived bioactives. This research aims to establish a scalable, cost-effective platform for producing phenolic compound-loaded nanoparticles, paving the way for their integration into various applications.

Reference

Gong, X.; Wang, M.; Zhou, H.* Harnessing pH for sustainable and effective synthesis of phenolic compound-loaded nanoparticles directly from raw plants. Food Chemistry 2025, 467, 142327. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142327.