The Role of Nanotechnology Application in Antioxidant from Herbs and Spices for Improving Health and Nutrition: A Review

Abstract

Spices and herbs have been the basis of traditional medicines and flavouring food throughout the world for thousands of years and continue to provide new remedies to humankind. They are known for their antioxidant properties, antibacterial, antifungal and have the ability to produce multidimensional flavours in food. The antioxidant components with a wide variety of free radical scavenging compounds such as phenolic compounds, vitamins, alkaloids and terpenoids known as a main dietary constituents contributing to medicinal effect. However it is being reported that these compounds have low absorption activities in the body system and in food due to their larger particle size, complex chemical structure and poor water solubility of the constituent compounds. Several researchers have been proved that particle size reduction can improve solubility and increase the dispersion rate of poorly water – soluble active ingredients. The application of nanotechnological method is believed can improve the characteristic of microstructured bioactive compound of spices and herbs by enhancing their water solubility, bioavailability, increasing absorbency to organism as well as antioxidant properties which facilitate the active ingredients to disperse and dissolve stably and homogeneously.