Abstract

Background: Cereals and cereal-based products as an important part of the daily diet provide a considerable percent of macronutrients such as carbohydrate, protein and fiber and a range of micronutrients including vitamins (E and some of the B vitamins) and minerals (Mg and Zn). However, thermal (boiling or baking) and mechanical (milling) processes applied for conversion of cereals into consumable products and also improvement of the digestibility and palatability of cereal products lead to the reduction or even removal of some bioactive compounds, consequently loss of their nutritional and health values. Scope and approach: The fortification process is a suitable means for the addition of the lost components to the formulation of cereals; although, direct usage of bioactive compounds and additives in bakery products has some limitations such as sensitivity to undesirable environmental and processing conditions, adverse effects on sensory attributes of products and interaction with other food ingredients. Encapsulation not only can solve these problems, but also improves the overall quality and shelf life of bakery products by release controlling, protecting and uniform distribution of these components. Key findings and conclusions: Most studies in the literature show that the use of bioactive substances instead of free compounds can be used effectively to enrich or fortify cereal-based products, without having a significant negative impact on their physicochemical and textural properties. Spray drying was the most commonly used technique for encapsulation of bioactive compounds, which can be explained by its advantages such as flexibility and low cost. This review will provide valuable information that may be useful for identifying trends in the production of new functional cereal-based products through nano/microencapsulation technology. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the commercialization and also the safety of nanoformulations used in cereal products.