Research Progress on Nanoparticles of Flavonoids Based on Natural Macromolecules

Flavonoids are an important group of polyphenolic compounds found in natural foods, showing great potential for the usage in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. Nevertheless, flavonoids are generally limited in their potential application in food industry due to their low solubility, poor stability and permeability, resulting in poor bioavailability. It is a promising strategy to use nanotechnology to prepare nanoparticles of flavonoids based on natural biological macromolecules and thus improve the physicochemical properties of flavonoids. Recent researches at home and abroad are comprehensive analyzed in this paper, and the structure and properties of flavonoids are briefly described. On this basis, examples of nanoparticles of various protein and polysaccharide matrices and related research results are presented in this paper to discuss their binding mechanisms and applicability. The development of flavonoid nanoparticles for applications in the food industry is also envisaged. The objective of this study is to provide a theoretical basis and rationale for the development and utilization of natural macromolecular nanoparticles of flavonoids.