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To understand the interactions between carriers and functional ingredients is crucial when designing delivery systems, to maximize bioefficacy and functionality. In this study, two different protein matrices were evaluated as means to protect the extract isolated from marjoram leaves (Origanum majorana), casein micelles from fresh skim milk and soy protein isolate (SPI). RESULTS Marjoram extract was obtained from pressurization of ethanol and water solvent. Protein dispersions of casein and SPI (5?g?L?1 each) with or without marjoram extract (0.1?3?mg?mL?1) were prepared and homogenized. The physicochemical characterization of charge and entrapment efficiency were conducted. The results demonstrated that entrapment efficiency was highly dependent on the carrier itself where SPI formulations showed 20% higher affinity when compared to casein micelles. To investigate the physiological behaviour of the marjoram?protein dispersions, human macrophages were employed. A non-specific inflammatory response of macrophages stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide was measured for TNF-α, IL-1? and IL-6 cytokine secretion. CONCLUSION Casein and SPI protein formulations warranted high bioefficacy of marjoram extract, showing their potential as safe carriers. ? 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

Milk protein concentrates (MPC) are typically dried high-protein powders with functional and nutritional properties that can be tailored through modification of processing conditions, including temperature, pH, filtration, and drying. However, the effects of processing conditions on the structure-function properties of liquid MPC (fluid ultrafiltered milk), specifically, are understudied. In this report, the pH of liquid MPC [13% protein (70% protein DM basis), pH 6.7] was adjusted to 6.5 or 6.9, and samples at pH 6.5, 6.7, and 6.9 were subjected to heat treatment at either 85°C for 5 min or 125°C for 15 s. Sodium dodecyl sulfate PAGE was used to determine the distribution of caseins and denatured whey proteins in the soluble and micellar phases, and HPLC was used to quantify native whey proteins as a measure of denaturation, based on the processing conditions. Both heat treatments resulted in substantial whey protein denaturation at each pH, with β-lactoglobulin denatured more extensively than α-lactalbumin. Changes in liquid MPC physicochemical properties were monitored at d 1, 5, and 8 during storage at 4°C. Viscosity increased after heat treatment and also over time, regardless of pH and heating conditions, suggesting the role of whey protein denaturation and aggregation, and their interactions with casein micelles. The MPC samples processed at pH 6.9 had a significantly higher viscosity than those heated at pH 6.5 or 6.7, for both temperature and time conditions; and samples processed at 85°C for 5 min had higher viscosity than those heated at 125°C for 15 s. Particle size analysis indicated the presence of larger particles after 5 and 8 d of MPC storage after heating at pH 6.9. Acid-induced gelation of the liquid MPC led to significantly higher gel firmness after processing at 85°C for 5 min, compared with 125°C for 15 s. Also, gels made from MPC adjusted to pH 6.5 had higher storage moduli, with both time and temperature combinations, demonstrating the role of pH-dependent association of denatured whey proteins with casein micelles in gel network formation. These findings enable a better understanding of the processing factors contributing to structural and functional properties of liquid MPC and can be helpful in tailoring milk protein ingredient functionality for a variety of food products.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of complexation of epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) to a caseinate-stabilized oil-water interface on the bioefficacy of EGCG. The bioaccessibility, anti-proliferative activity, and intestinal uptake of EGCG are reported. Higher amount of EGCG was present in digested emulsions compared to their equivalent solutions after digestion. The incorporation of EGCG in sodium caseinate emulsions improved its bioaccesibility and this was confirmed by cytotoxicity assays on Caco-2 cells. Intestinal absorption of EGCG was also studied with in vitro transport experiments. It was difficult to obtain a quantitative measurement of the EGCG in the basolateral fraction, but the fractions showed a clear anti-proliferative activity. These results would suggest the use of a cytotoxicity assay on cell cultures to estimate the extent of intestinal absorption of the bioactive catechin EGCG. The findings demonstrated that sodium caseinate-stabilized emulsions can be used as a platform for delivery of EGCG.

We investigated the effect of protein composition and, in particular, the presence of whey proteins or β-casein on the digestion behavior of a model infant formula using an in vivo piglet model. Three isocaloric diets optimized for piglets were prepared with the same concentrations of protein. For protein source, 1 diet contained only whey proteins and 2 contained a casein:whey protein ratio of 40:60 but differed in the amount of β-casein. To obtain the desired protein compositions, skim milk was microfiltered at 7 or 22°C, and retentates and permeates were combined with whey protein isolate. The diets were optimized to the nutritional needs of the piglets and fed to 24 newborn piglets for 18 d. Eight piglets were also fed ad libitum with sow milk and considered only as reference (not included in the statistical analysis). The study was carried out in 2 blocks, killing the animals 60 and 120 min after the last meal. All gastric contents, regardless of diet, showed a wide range of pH. Postprandial time did not affect the pH or physical properties of the gastric digesta. The digesta from whey protein-casein formulas showed significantly higher viscosity, a higher storage modulus, and a denser microstructure than digesta obtained from piglets fed whey protein formula. The β-casein:total casein ratio at the level used in this study did not significantly affect the physical and chemical properties of the stomach digestate. Although caseins showed extensive gastric hydrolysis, whey proteins remained largely intact at both postprandial times. The results indicate that the presence of different concentrations of milk proteins can be critical to the digestion properties of the food matrix and may affect the nutritional properties of the components.

2nd Asian Conference on Oleo Science (ACOS) / 56th Annual Meeting of the Japan-Oil-Chemists'-Society (JOCS) -- SEP 11-13, 2017 -- Tokyo Univ Sci, Kagurazaka Campus, Tokyo, JAPAN WOS: 000451293900002 PubMed ID: 29760329 To enhance the curcumin delivery in a variety of food grade matrices namely spray dried ethanolic curcumin in fresh skim milk (Spray dried Cu-SM), a fresh mixture of ethanolic curcumin and skim milk (Fresh Cu-SM) a powder mixture of curcumin and skim milk powder (Powder Cu-SMP) and oil in water emulsion (Emulsion) were studied. The cellular uptake of curcumin from the respective matrices was studied on Caco-2 cell monolayers. Spray dried Cu-SM showed higher encapsulation efficiency compared to a corresponding Powder Cu-SMP and an oil-in-water emulsion (40% oil) bearing curcumin. Furthermore, ethanolic administration of curcumin in spray dried form enhanced the cellular uptake of curcumin considerably higher than non-ethanolic samples (approx. 4 times). Overall, milk protein based vectors were found to perform better than emulsion samples. These findings highlighted the fact that curcumin uptake may be tailored by fine tuning of curcumin delivery vehicles which highlights possible application of powders as functional foods. Japan Oil Chemists Soc

The digestion, absorption, uptake and bioavailability of a rosemary supercritical fluid extract encapsulated in oil in water emulsion were studied. Two emulsions with opposite surface charge were prepared, containing 7% canola oil, and either 2% lactoferrin or whey protein isolate. When absorption and uptake of carnosic acid and carnosol were followed on Caco-2 cell monolayers, there were no differences with protein type. However, when co-cultures of HT-29 MTX were employed, the presence of mucus caused a higher retention of carnosic acid in the apical layer for lactoferrin emulsions. The immune activity of the bioavailable fractions collected from cell absorption experiments was tested ex vivo on murine splenocytes. Although transport through the intestinal barrier models was low, the bioavailable fractions showed a significant effect on splenocytes proliferation. These results demonstrated the potential of using rosemary supercritical extract through protein stabilized oil in water emulsions, as a food with immunomodulatory functionality., This work was partly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada, through the Canada Research Chair program and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FORCANCER project, AGL2013- 48943-C2-1-R). EA work was supported by the Alfonso Martin Escudero Foundation, through a Post-Doctoral Fellowship.

Food Applications of Nanotechnology / Edited ByGustavo Molina, Inamuddin, Franciele Maria Pelissari, Abdullah Mohamed Asiri -- 9780429297038 -- CRC Press. Database : Taylor&Francis Group -- https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429297038. Health-conscious consumers are looking for foods that impart benefits beyond simple nutrition. Beverages are seen by consumers as the most active food category for their convenience in usage and distribution, and they have been the most invested functional food category (Corbo et al., 2014). Innovations in food beverages have also benefitted from food nanotechnology applications. Food nanostructures are usually defined as structures of less than 100 nm in size, developed to respond to challenges related to biological or technological functionality. However, often, larger sizes are also utilized in foods for similar purposes, owing to the limitations on the functional ingredients available and permitted for use to build such structures. In this chapter, applications of structures designed to deliver functional molecules are summarized, also with considerations regarding their biological significance demonstrated using in vitro and in vivo reports. The adaptation of nanotechnology to food beverages has increased the opportunities for innovation, and a better understanding of their formation, disruption, and disintegration during consumption and gastrointestinal transit will result in an improved validation of structure function claims. Indeed, a firm validation remains a critical issue, as added value is the driver for the development of such functional beverages.

To understand the interactions between carriers and functional ingredients is crucial when designing delivery systems, to maximize bioefficacy and functionality. In this study, two different protein matrices were evaluated as means to protect the extract isolated from marjoram leaves (Origanum majorana), casein micelles from fresh skim milk and soy protein isolate (SPI).Marjoram extract was obtained from pressurization of ethanol and water solvent. Protein dispersions of casein and SPI (5 g LCasein and SPI protein formulations warranted high bioefficacy of marjoram extract, showing their potential as safe carriers. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

By interacting with nutrients, the mucus layer covering the intestinal epithelium may mediate absorption. This study aimed to determine possible interactions between epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), skim milk proteins or their complexes with human intestinal mucin films. The films were extracted from postconfluent monolayers of HT29-MTX, a human intestinal cell line, and a model system was created using drop shape tensiometry. The EGCG uptake tested in vitro on postconfluent Caco-2 cells or co-cultures of Caco-2/HT29-MTX (mucus producing) showed recovery of bioavailable EGCG only for Caco-2 cell monolayers, suggesting an effect of mucus on absorption. Interfacial dilational rheology was employed to characterize the properties of the interface mixed with mucus dispersion. Adsorption of polyphenols greatly enhanced the viscoelastic modulus of the mucus film, showing the presence of interactions between the nutrient molecules and mucus films. On the other hand, in situ digestion of milk proteins using trypsin showed higher surface activities as a result of protein unfolding and competitive adsorption of the hydrolyzed products. There was an increase of viscoelastic modulus over the drop ageing time for the mixed interfaces, indicating the formation of a stiffer interfacial network. These results bring new insights into the role of the mucus layer in nutrient absorption and the interactions of mucus and dairy products.

Global issues with increased incidence of common diseases have raised the demand for healthier diet and functional food products in the market that can possibly ameliorate or prevent the prevalence of diseases. Encapsulation technologies are proved to be a safe way to deliver and maintain the functionality of the biologically active components. With this in mind, food scientists are striving to identify and utilize natural agents, which would serve as potential carriers of bioactive compounds in food products. The structural organization and complexity of milk proteins especially caseins, as the main protein fraction in milk, offers more than a simple functional agent in dairy technology. Caseins possess a great potential in complex formation and encapsulation of biologically active species. In this chapter recent investigations being carried out to encapsulate bioactive agents, either food grade or pharmaceutical via caseins are highlighted; an overview of casein structural organization, and the underlying physicochemical characteristics that facilitates their usage as nanocarriers are discussed; an introduction of recent methods employed for encapsulation of bioactives via casein complexation are explained along with the relevant challenges and future insights.

Milk proteins, and in particular caseins, are avid binders of polyphenols. The objective of this work was to understand how the presence of a polyphenol–casein complex may affect the bioefficacy of tea catechins [epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG)]. In vitro digestion was carried out using two different models: a batch model and a dynamic digestion model, using a simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem (SHIME). SDS-PAGE electrophoresis of the digestates showed that the presence of EGCG did not affect hydrolysis of the caseins, regardless of the digestion model used. However, there was a slower digestion of the caseins in the dynamic model (SHIME) compared to the in vitro batch model. The cytotoxic effect of free and complexed EGCG was tested using adenocarcinoma cells (HT-29) and the HT29-MTX subclone. The HT29-MTX closely mimics the presence of the mucus barrier in the intestine. HT-29 cells showed a decrease in cell viability proportional to the concentration of ECGC, free or complexed and after digestion. The proliferation rate of HT29 assessed on digested EGCG-casein complexes indicated that the binding of EGCG and milk proteins does not affect its bioactivity. Antiproliferative activities were comparable to those for free EGCG, in spite of the lower recovery of EGCG after the various stages of digestion. Exposure of EGCG (free or complexed) to mucus-producing cells HT29-MTX did not show a decrease in viability, and the cell response was typical of normal cells. The presence of mucus also protected coculture monolayers of HT29-MTX and Caco-2. All the models demonstrated that the presence of EGCG–casein micelle complex did not affect the bioefficacy of the polyphenol.

Milk fat globules were extracted from bovine and goat milk and incubated with HT-29 human adenocarcinoma cells to assess the attachment and internalization of Salmonella Enteritidis. Because the expression of bacterial adhesins is highly affected by the presence of antibiotic, the attachment was studied with and without antibiotic in the cell growth medium. Although no inhibitory effect of the fat globules was observed in the presence of the antibiotic, milk fat globules significantly inhibited the binding and internalization of Salmonella in medium free of antibiotic. The fat globules from both bovine and goat milk markedly reduced bacterial binding and invasion compared with controls, and the cells treated with goat milk-derived fat globules demonstrated greater protective properties than those derived from bovine milk. The effect of heat treatment on bovine fat globules was also investigated, and it was shown that the fat globules from heated milk had a higher degree of inhibition than those from unheated milk.

Structuring of delivery matrices in foods aquires careful designing for optimal delivery and subsiquent absorption of the beneficial compounds in the gut. There has been quite improvement in mimicking digestion and absorption in vitro but as of yet little is understood on mucus interference in nutrient absorption Therefore in this study interactions of human intestinal mucus with milk and soy phospholipids liposomes carring hydrophilic (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) or hydrophobic (β-carotene) bioactive molecules were investigated. Liposomes of about 100nm were obtained using microfluidization and their behaviour with the human intestinal mucus were evaluated using drop shape tensiometry. The chemistry of the liposomes (milk or soy) and the encapsulated bioactive structure can affect the viscoelastic behaviour of the complex itself. Empty or loaded liposomes were differently interacting with the mucus at the interface. Mucus-liposomes interactions were also studied using cell cultures, Caco-2 (without mucus) and cocultures Caco-2/HT29-MTX (mucus producing). The interaction of mucus layer with liposomes was at some extent aligned with rheological studies. This work demonstrated that delivery systems may interact with the mucosal surface of intestinal cells, and in vitro approaches allow for screening of such interactions. These highlights could help us in carefully designing the delivery systems and moreover choosing the right carrier and/or bioactive that does not jeopardize the optimal delivery of the bioactive structure.

Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris JFR1 has been studied in reduced fat cheese due to its ability to produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) in situ, contributing to improved textural and organoleptic properties. In this study, the effect of strain JFR1 on virulence gene expression and attachment of Salmonella to HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells was investigated. Overnight cultures of L. lactis subsp. cremoris JFR1 containing EPS, grown in M17 media with 0.5% glucose supplementation, decreased attachment as well as down regulated virulence gene expression in Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica when tested on HT-29 cells. However, EPS isolated from milk fermented with L. lactis subsp. cremoris JFR1 did not affect Salmonella virulence gene expression or attachment to HT-29 cells. These results suggest that EPS does not contribute to the attachment of Salmonella to human intestinal cells. However, the possibility that the isolation process may have affected the structural features of EPS cannot be ruled out.

An in depth understanding of the underpinning mechanisms that relate to food disruption and processing in the gastrointestinal tract is necessary to achieve optimal intake of nutrients and their bioefficacy. Although in vivo trials can provide insights on physiological responses of nutrients, in vitro assays are often applied as tools to understand specific mechanisms, or as prescreening methods to determine the factors associated with the uptake of food components in the gastrointestinal tract. In vitro assays are also often utilized to design novel or improved food delivery systems. In this review the available approaches to study delivery and uptake of food bioactives and the associated challenges are discussed. For an in depth understanding of food processing in the gastrointestinal tract, it is necessary to apply multidisciplinary methodologies, at the interface between materials science, chemistry, physics and biology.

Liposomes are phospholipid bilayer vesicles often employed to encapsulate bioactive molecules. In spite of their widespread use in cosmetics and pharmaceutics, their application in food systems is still limited. The objective of this study was to determine the ability of liposomal dispersions prepared from milk phospholipids using high-pressure homogenization to encapsulate and deliver a tea polyphenol extract. It was hypothesized that the encapsulation may improve the delivery of the biomolecules to an intestinal cell model. In addition to their physical characterization, the influence of encapsulated tea polyphenols on the viability of adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 was compared to that of free polyphenols. Encapsulated polyphenols caused a lower extent of growth inhibition compared to free polyphenols, suggesting that liposomes act as loaded reservoirs that slowly release the bioactive compound in the medium. Liposomes were also prepared using soy phospholipids, and their delivery was compared to that of milk phospholipid liposomes. Although both vesicles showed high bioefficacy and delivery of polyphenols, there were differences in their behavior. It was concluded that milk phospholipids could represent an alternative source to soy phospholipids for preparation of liposomes and that the differences in composition and charge may allow us to further fine tune the cellular uptake of the bioactive.

The aims of this study were to examine the effect of mare's milk on virulence gene expression of Salmonella Typhimurium and observe its potential activity on proliferation of adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells . Different supernatants of mare's milk, raw or heat-treated at 65°C for 15 s or 30 min, were studied. The changes in hilA gene expression of Salmonella Typhimurium in presence of mare's milk supernatants were assessed using a reporter luminescent strain. A significant decrease in hilA gene expression was observed with all tested supernatants. Virulence gene expression was then assessed using qPCR on a wild-type strain of Salmonella Typhimurium. A significant decrease of hilA and ssrB2 gene expression was observed with raw milk supernatants but not with heat-treated supernatants. The same supernatants were administered to Caco-2 cells to measure their proliferation rate. A significant reduction of proliferative effect was observed only with raw milk supernatants. This study reports that raw mare's milk was able to modulate virulence gene expression of Salmonella Typhimurium and exerts antiproliferative effects on Caco-2 cells. These results may offer new approaches for promoting gastrointestinal health.

Rosmarinus officinalis L. is an aromatic plant with components known to confer health-promoting properties. The present study aimed to enhance the bioavailability of the main compounds, carnosic acid and carnosol, by encapsulation. The rosemary extracts were obtained by supercritical fluid extraction, and then different delivery systems were tested, namely oil emulsion droplets and casein micelles, native protein particles present in milk. Soybean oil in water emulsions and casein dispersions were digested in vitro with simulated gastric and intestinal fluids, and the bioavailability of the extract was tested on Caco-2 cell monolayers. The apical and basolateral compartments and the cell lysates were further analyzed for carnosic acid and carnosol content by means of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS). The encapsulation in both casein micelles and emulsion droplets significantly protected the rosemary extract from degradation during digestion, resulting in 81 and 97 % recovery of carnosic acid, respectively. This high protection rate prompted an increased bioavailability of carnosic acid and carnosol in Caco-2 monolayers, with up to 10 % carnosic acid recovered in the bioavailable fraction. Encapsulation in delivery systems like casein micelles or emulsion droplets opens new possibilities for successful incorporation of rosemary extracts in healthy food formulations with increased functionality., This project was partly funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CICYT) (project: IPT-300000-2010-034), Ingredientes Saludables Mediterráneos Innovadores (INNSAMED), Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (ALIBIRD, project S-505/AGR-0153), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC). Authors are members of the COST Infogest program, and the funding for the Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) of E. Arranz is acknowledged.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant efficacy of extracts obtained from six Pinus species (P. pinea, P. brutia, P. radiata, P. halepensis, P. attenuata, P. nigra) growing in natural forests in Southern Greece. Specimens of fresh, dry needles and pine bark were extracted and fractionated with a variety of organic solvents and the efficient concentration and their radical scavenging activity was evaluated by the Co(II)/EDTA induced luminol plateau chemiluminescence assay.

Milk is composed of a wide variety of molecules with nutritional and multiple biological functionalities. The two main examples of colloidal structures in milk with multiple functions are fat globules and protein assemblies, referred to as casein micelles. Both assemblies are examples of how nature has resolved the task of delivering nutrients. They are often studied as a model of how to create structures in foods with enhanced functionality during consumption and digestion. Proteins and lipid aggregates in milk encode bioactive structures that will become important once digested, and will serve protective roles in the gut, for example, by regulating the immune system, by serving as cell differentiation factors, or by showing symbiotic functions with beneficial microorganisms. The milk components can form supramolecular structures that can be employed for the delivery of additional health benefits. The current knowledge of such structures present in milk, their changes during processing and digestion, and their relationship to biological functions in the gastrointestinal tract are outlined in this chapter. Recent findings in this area have created a paradigm shift in how we process and design new dairy foods aimed at providing additional health benefits to consumers.

PubMed: 25077960 Varying amounts of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) were encapsulated in β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) nanoparticles, either native or processed, denoted as heated or desolvated protein. The stability, physical properties, and bioactivity of the ?-Lg-EGCG complexes were tested. Native β-Lg-EGCG complexes showed comparable stability and binding efficacy (EGCG/β-Lg molar ratio of 1:1) to heated β-Lg nanoparticles (1% and 5% protein w/w). The sizes of heated and desolvated ?-Lg nanoparticles were comparable, but the latter showed the highest binding affinity for EGCG. The presence of EGCG complexed with β-Lg did not affect the interfacial tension of the protein when tested at the soy oil-water interface but caused a decrease in dilational elasticity. All ?-Lg complexes (native, heated, or desolvated) showed a decrease in cellular proliferation similar to that of free ECGC. In summary, protein-EGCG complexes did not alter the bioefficacy of EGCG and contributed to increased stability with storage, demonstrating the potential benefits of nanoencapsulation. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the bovine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) on the virulence of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The MFGM was extracted from raw or heat-treated milk, resulting in 2 preparations differing in protein composition. Both heated and raw MFGM exerted an inhibitory effect on Shiga toxin gene expression by E. coli O157:H7 (ratios of −7.69 and −5.96, respectively). Interestingly, the effect was stronger with heated MFGM, with a larger decrease in expression of the virulence gene fliC (ratio of −9.43). The difference in effect observed between heated and raw MFGM could be explained by the difference in protein composition between the 2 preparations. These results show, for the first time, a specific effect of MFGM on expressionof Shiga toxin genes as well as genes involved in the motility of E. coli O157:H7. This may offer a new approach to mitigate the adverse health effects caused by E. coli O157:H7 infections.

PubMed ID: 24710007 Encapsulation in lipid particles is often proposed as a solution to improve curcumin bioavailability. This bioactive molecule has low water solubility and rapidly degrades during digestion. In the present study, the uptake of curcumin from oil in water emulsions, prepared with two different emulsifiers, Tween 20 and Poloxamer 407, was investigated to determine the effect of interfacial composition on absorption. Piperine was added to the curcumin to limit the degradation of curcumin because it is known to inhibit ?-glucuronidase activity. The emulsions were administered to Caco-2 cell cultures, which is used as a model for intestinal uptake, and the recovery of curcumin was measured. The curcumin uptake was significantly affected by the type of interface, and the extent of curcumin uptake improved significantly by piperine addition only in the case of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by Poloxamer 407. This work provides further evidence of the importance of interfacial composition on the delivery of bioactives. © 2014 the Partner Organisations.

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) have shown potential for encapsulation, protection and delivery of lipophilic functional components. In this study, we have investigated the capabilities of SLN to deliver a hydrophobic polyphenol compound, curcumin, in a coculture system of absorptive Caco-2 and mucus secreting HT29-MTX cells. The cells were grown on transport filters to mimic the human intestinal epithelium. Because of the hydrophobic nature of curcumin, its delivery to the basolateral compartment is expected to take place via a paracellular route. The changes in curcumin concentration in various compartments (i.e., apical, basolateral, mucus, and cell lysates) were evaluated using fluorescence spectroscopy. Two SLN systems were prepared with different emulsifying agents. The encapsulation of curcumin in SLN caused enhanced delivery compared to unencapsulated curcumin. In addition, SLN showed enhanced delivery compared to emulsion droplets containing liquid soy oil. The SLN were retained on the apical mucosal layer to a greater extent than emulsion droplets. The presence of SLN did not affect the integrity of the cellular junctions, as indicated by the TEER values, and the route of transport of the solid particles was simple diffusion, with permeability rates of about 7 × 10(-6) cm s(-1). Approximately 1% of total curcumin was delivered to the basolateral compartment, suggesting that most of the curcumin was absorbed and metabolized by the cell.