HK1099179A - Delivery of functional ingredients - Google Patents

Description

Provision of functional ingredients

The present invention relates to a primary composition comprising all essential nutrients of fruit or plant material and a method of forming the same, said composition having improved stability, bioavailability and miscibility. The invention also relates to an oral composition comprising this primary composition in a food product, a food supplement, a cosmetic preparation or a pharmaceutical preparation.

Background

Pigments and bioactive compounds extracted from fruit or plant materials are widely used in the food industry as functional ingredients. Of these, wolfberry fruit (Lycium barbarum) is one of the functional ingredients advocated by China, and is particularly beneficial to the vision, immune system, and its anti-aging properties, which are related to the presence of many bioactive compounds in the fruit. Such fruits are typically consumed by hot water extraction.

Many other ingredients are also well accepted by consumers for their beneficial properties, but their use in food products is either difficult or poorly bioavailable. Indeed, fruits are often rich in reducing sugars, making it very difficult to dry and handle their powders.

A wide variety of extraction techniques are known. For example, in WO03020053, a process for extracting carotenoids from carotenoid-containing plants is described. Comprising (i) mixing the plant with water such that the Brix is not greater than 10 DEG. (ii) (ii) comminuting the mixture of step (i) and allowing solid-liquid separation to obtain two phases: pulp and serum. (iii) Extracting the pulp to obtain a carotenoid-containing vegetable resin oil. Such water leaching techniques are natural, but are not as efficient as using solvents.

For example, US6648564 describes a process for forming, isolating and purifying lutein crystals by saponifying a plant extract containing lutein diesters in a composition of propylene glycol and an aqueous base to form lutein crystals. The substantially pure crystals of lutein thus obtained are suitable for human consumption and can be used as nutritional supplements and food additives. However, solvent extraction techniques are difficult to operate and the use of solvents can affect the natural image and/or nutritional function of the product.

Moreover, conventional extraction techniques typically extract only a few compounds of the plant or fruit material, leaving some other biologically active compounds in the remainder. For example, polysaccharides, polyphenols and other non-lipophilic compounds cannot be extracted with lipophilic ingredients, such as carotenoids, lipophilic vitamins and other lipids.

For example, US6409996B1 describes a method for obtaining a composition comprising one or more flavonoids by treating a flavonoid-containing material with an aqueous extraction medium to obtain an extract and separating the flavonoids from the extract by adsorption and/or absorption. Similarly, this extraction method can only obtain an extract mainly containing a part of the bioactive main substance in the raw material.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve the above problems by providing a method for extracting and providing multiple nutrients from fruit or plant materials with improved stability, miscibility, dispersibility in aqueous systems and increased bioavailability of bioactive compounds. It is another object of the present invention to provide a primary composition that can be used directly or can be easily concentrated or dried to a powder for use in food products, nutritional supplements, cosmetic preparations or pharmaceutical preparations.

Brief description of the invention

It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide a mixable primary composition comprising at least essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components of whole fruit, vegetable and/or plant material, excluding insoluble fibers, in a milk or milk protein containing carrier.

Advantageously, the primary composition has substantial active ingredients throughout the fruit, it has good stability, miscibility and dispersibility in aqueous systems. Moreover, the primary composition improves the nutritional value in a way that provides better bioavailability and stability. It has pleasant taste and color. It can be used directly or concentrated or dried into a powder for several uses in food for daily consumption or other nutritional uses.

Thus, in a further object, the primary composition is an additive in an oral food product (e.g. a nutritional composition), a food supplement, a pet food product, a cosmetic preparation or a pharmaceutical preparation. The primary composition may also be an additive for use in topical preparations such as cosmetic or pharmaceutical preparations.

The invention also relates to a method of forming the primary composition. The process for preparing the primary composition to provide all essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components throughout the fruit, vegetable and/or plant material comprises the steps of:

i) mixing and milling fruit, vegetable and/or plant material in milk or a liquid medium containing milk protein,

ii) separating the insoluble fibres to obtain an aqueous suspension

iii) optionally pasteurizing the resulting suspension

iv) optionally adding synthetic or natural bioactive ingredients (e.g.: carotenoid

v) further optionally drying the suspension to obtain a powder.

The main advantage of this process is the ability to naturally and economically improve the provision of multiple nutrients in a combination of stabilized water-soluble and fat-soluble compounds without organic solvent residues.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for improving the miscibility or dispersibility of a bioactive compound in an aqueous system, as well as the stability and bioavailability of the bioactive compound in fruit, vegetable and/or plant material using the above method. Specifically, various nutrients of functional ingredients in fruits, vegetables and/or plant materials are extracted and provided by using milk or milk proteins, soybean milk derived from plants or milk-based proteins.

It is another object of the present invention to provide the use of the above-described primary composition to provide multiple nutrients for functional ingredients in fruits, vegetables and/or plant materials with improved bioavailability, miscibility and stability.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide the use of the primary composition described above for the preparation of an oral, cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for improving skin health, in particular for photoprotection of the skin or for preventing the ageing of skin tissues.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide the use of a primary composition as described above for the preparation of an oral, topical or pharmaceutical composition for ocular health (e.g. for the regression of age-related spots).

The invention also provides the use of the primary composition described above for the preparation of a food or pharmaceutical composition for stimulating the immune system.

Finally, the invention also provides the use of the primary composition in the preparation of a food or pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of diabetes (e.g. having a blood glucose lowering effect).

The present invention now makes it possible to provide the consumer with an improved composition obtained from natural products. It provides a primary composition which retains important bioactive components of fruit or plant materials or mixtures thereof. It contains bioactive components that are close to the bioactive components naturally found in fruit or plant materials. The primary composition provides the bioactive compounds in the fruit or plant material, particularly in a highly bioavailable, stable and mixable manner.

The features of the present invention, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description.

Detailed Description

In the following description, the term "biologically active compound" is understood to mean a molecule or component which exhibits biological activity or is beneficial to health when taken orally or used in cosmetics.

According to a first object, a mixable primary composition is described comprising at least essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components of whole fruit, vegetable and/or plant material, excluding insoluble fibres, in a milk or milk protein containing carrier.

In a preferred embodiment, the fruit, vegetable and/or plant material may be in the form of vegetables, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and other parts of the plant, or mixtures thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, berries or any fruit or vegetable or seed rich in flavonoids, polyphenols or carotenoids are selected. For example, berries such as wolfberry, blueberry, cranberry, mulberry, blackberry, gooseberry, white currant, black currant, red currant, raspberry, sea buckthorn, strawberry, bayberry or grape, and other fruits such as apple, melon, kiwi, cherry, red date, plum (prunes), peach, persimmon, citrus plants such as mandarin, orange, tangerine, grapefruit may be used. Flowers such as chamomile, chrysanthemum, bitter orange, honeysuckle, jasmine and safflower may be used. Vegetables such as tomato, spinach, celery, carrot, pea, kale, parsley, cress, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, brussels sprouts, collard greens (collard green), turnip green (turn green), fennel, onion may be used. Fruits such as corn, black rice, cocoa, coffee, and ingredients such as tea, thyme, sweet pepper may also be used.

The fruit, vegetable or plant material may be used in the form of fresh, concentrated or dried material (e.g. air or freeze dried material).

The major bioactive components of fruit, vegetable or plant materials may include, for example, lipids, alkaloids, proteins, carbohydrates, carotenoids, polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids, and vitamins or minerals. In particular, the biologically active compound may be, for example, a flavonoid (e.g., apigenin, luteolin or diosmetin), a flavonol (e.g., quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol), a flavanone (e.g., naringenin, hesperidin), a catechinic acid (e.g., epicatechin, gallocatechin), an anthocyanidin (e.g., malvidin, anthocyanidin) or an isoflavonoid (e.g., genistein, daidzein); carotenoids such as carotenes and xanthophylls (e.g., lycopene, carotene, phytofluene, phytoene, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, capsaicine, lutein, zeaxanthin, or these in the form of fatty acid esters; carbohydrates such as arabinogalactan proteins (e.g., wolfberry polysaccharide); vitamins (e.g., vitamin C, B, E … …); and minerals (e.g., selenium, calcium, magnesium, potassium).

The primary composition comprises at least substantially bioactive components of whole fruit, vegetable and/or plant material, except insoluble fiber, in a milk or milk protein-containing carrier. The milk-containing carrier may be in the form of skim milk or whole milk derived from animals or plants (e.g., soy milk, fruit juice, coconut milk, etc.). In a more preferred embodiment, milk or soy milk is used, depending on the fruit or primary composition desired. The milk-containing carrier can be any edible liquid comprising milk proteins (e.g., caseins or whey proteins). Optionally, vegetable oils may be added to the liquid medium.

The fruit, vegetable or plant material is mixed and ground in the milk or milk protein-containing liquid medium in a relative ratio of about 1: 1 to 1: 1000, preferably 1: 5 to 1: 50. The mixing and grinding steps may be carried out at a temperature of from 1 to 95 deg.C, preferably from about 20 to 80 deg.C, more preferably from 40 to 80 deg.C. Then, the insoluble fibers are removed to obtain an aqueous suspension. This can be done by any conventional method. The resulting primary composition may be further pasteurized and/or dried into a powder by techniques known in the art. The primary composition obtained may also be in liquid or gel form.

The present invention thus provides a primary composition having a profile substantially similar to all essential nutrients of fruit, which has good stability, miscibility and bioavailability. These compositions can be highly dispersed in aqueous systems if powder form is chosen. In this case, the powder can be dispersed in cold or hot water.

The composition may also contain one or more emulsifiers, stabilizers, antioxidants and other additives. Emulsifiers which are compatible in foodstuffs can be used, for example phospholipids, such as lecithin, mono-or tristearates of polyoxyethylene sorbitan, monolaurates, monopalmitates, mono-or trioleate, mono-or diglycerides. It is also possible to use any type of stabilizer known in the food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical field. Any type of antioxidant known in the food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical arts may be used. As the additives, perfumes, colorants and various other additives known in the fields of foods, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals can be used. These emulsifiers, stabilizers, antioxidants and additives are added according to the end use of the primary composition.

The composition may also contain synthetic or natural bioactive ingredients such as amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, polyphenols etc., which may be mixed with the composition by dry or wet methods prior to pasteurization and/or drying.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to an oral composition comprising the above-mentioned primary composition in a food product, a food supplement, a pet food product, a cosmetic preparation or a pharmaceutical preparation.

In a preferred embodiment, the food composition for human consumption is supplemented with the above-described primary composition. The composition may be a nutritionally complete formula, a dairy product, a chilled or shelf stable beverage, a mineral or purified water, a liquid drink, a soup, a dietary supplement, a meal replacement product, a nutritional bar, a dessert, milk or fermented milk, a yoghurt, a milk-based powder, an enteral nutrition product, an infant formula, an infant nutrition product, a cereal product or a fermented cereal-based product, an ice cream, a chocolate, a coffee, a culinary preparation (such as mayonnaise, tomato paste or salad dressing) or a pet food.

In this case, the primary composition (preferably in powder form) may be dispersed in the above-mentioned food or drink so that the above-mentioned nutrients having biological activity may be taken in daily life, depending mainly on the fruit, vegetable or plant used, the desired effect and the target tissue. The amount of the primary composition or food composition consumed by the human body to obtain a beneficial effect will also depend on its size, type and age.

The nutritional supplement for oral administration may be in the form of capsules, gelatin capsules, soft capsules, tablets, sugar-coated tablets, pills, pastes or lozenges, chewing gum, or drinkable solutions or emulsions, syrups or gels, said primary composition being in a dose of 0.1-100% and being taken directly with water or in any other known manner. Such supplements may also contain sweeteners, stabilizers, antioxidants, additives, flavorants or colorants. The supplement for cosmetic purposes may additionally comprise a compound active on the skin. The processes for their preparation are conventional techniques.

In another embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition may be used for prophylactic and/or therapeutic treatment. In therapeutic use, the compositions are administered to a patient already suffering from the disease, in an amount sufficient to treat or at least partially inhibit the symptoms of the disease and its complications, as described below. An amount sufficient to achieve this goal is referred to as a "therapeutically effective amount". An effective amount for this purpose will depend on the severity of the disease and the weight and general condition of the patient. In prophylactic use, the compositions of the invention are administered to a patient susceptible to or at risk of a particular disease. Such an amount is referred to as a "prophylactically effective amount". In this use, the exact amount also depends on the health and weight of the patient.

The compounds of the invention are preferably administered together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the nature of which varies depending on the mode of administration, e.g., enteral, oral and topical (including ophthalmic) routes. The desired formulation may be prepared using a variety of excipients, including, for example, pharmaceutical grades of mannitol, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, sodium saccharine, cellulose, magnesium carbonate. The composition can be in the form of tablet, capsule, pill, solution, suspension, syrup, dry oral supplement, wet oral supplement.

It will be appreciated that the skilled artisan, based on his own knowledge, may select appropriate components and dosage forms to target the active compound to the tissue of interest, e.g., skin, colon, stomach, eye, kidney or liver, in view of the mode of administration.

The invention also relates to a cosmetic composition comprising the primary composition described above. It may be formulated, for example, as a lotion, shampoo, cream, sunscreen, after-sun repair cream, anti-aging cream and/or ointment. The composition for topical use may also comprise a fat or oil which can be used in cosmetics, such as those mentioned in the handbook of cosmetic ingredients of CTFA (washington). Other cosmetic active ingredients may also be added. The composition also includes a structurant and an emulsifier. Other excipients, colorant fragrances or opacifiers may also be added to the composition. It will be appreciated that the cosmetic product of the invention will contain a mixture of different ingredients known to those skilled in the art, ensuring rapid penetration of the said substance into the skin and preventing its degradation during storage.

It will be appreciated that the concept of the present invention may similarly be used as an adjunct therapy to currently available drugs. Since the compounds of the invention are easy to administer with food, specialized clinical foods may contain high levels of the substance. It is evident that those skilled in the art will find various alternatives to the embodiments mentioned herein upon reading the present specification and the appended claims.

The use of the above-mentioned food product, nutritional supplement, cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition by pets or humans can improve skin health, in particular for photoprotection of the skin or for preventing aging of skin tissue, for example, by inhibiting collagenase and enhancing collagen synthesis to inhibit damage to the skin and/or mucous membranes. Indeed, the use of the above-mentioned primary composition makes it possible, for example, to increase the bioavailability of the biologically active compound in the body and to slow down the ageing of the skin. It can also be used to prevent or treat sensitive, dry or reactive skin, or to improve the density or firmness of the skin.

The primary composition described above may also be used for the preparation of an oral, topical or pharmaceutical composition for the eye, in particular for reducing the risk of the appearance of cataracts or age-related macular lesions. It can also be used, for example, to prevent or treat cardiovascular disease or discomfort or cancer, and to stimulate the immune system, lowering blood glucose.

The following examples illustrate the invention in more detail, but are not intended to limit the invention. All percentages given are by weight unless otherwise indicated.

Examples

Example 1: preparation of primary composition from wolfberry fruit

Dried wolfberry fruit (40g) and whole milk (300g) were added to a 1 litre container. The mixture was left for 10 minutes and treated with Polytron (KINEMATICA dispersion and mixing technique, PT3000) under nitrogen atmosphere at 26000rpm for 15 minutes. During Polytron treatment, the temperature of the mixture was maintained at 80-85 ℃ by a water bath and subsequently cooled to room temperature. The resulting mixture was then centrifuged at 2000G for 10 minutes. The solid residue was discarded. The liquid phase (306g of orange-yellow milk) was freeze-dried. The dried product was finally milled to give 54g of an orange yellow powder which showed very good water dispersibility and improved zeaxanthin stability compared to the wolfberry fruit powder.

Example 2: preparation of a Primary composition from tomatoes

Fresh tomato pulp (93g), skim milk powder (10g) and tap water (30g) were added to a 250 ml container. The mixture was homogenized (Polytron) under nitrogen atmosphere at 26000rpm for 10 minutes. The temperature of the mixture was maintained below 30 ℃ by ice bath cooling. The resulting mixture was then centrifuged at 2000G for 10 minutes. The solid residue was discarded and the liquid phase (96g of pink milk) was freeze-dried. The dried product was finally milled to give a pink powder (17.5 g).

Example 3: milk product comprising a primary composition according to the invention

The primary composition prepared as in example 1 was used to prepare a fermented yoghurt-like dairy product. For this purpose, 1 litre of milk containing 2.8% lipids supplemented with 2% skimmed milk powder and 6% sucrose was prepared for pasteurisation and then its temperature was lowered to 42 ℃. A pre-culture of a non-thickening (non-thickening) strain of Streptococcus thermophilus and a pre-culture of a non-thickening strain of Lactobacillus bulgaricus (Lactobacillus bulgaricus) were reactivated in sterile MSK culture medium containing 10% reduced milk powder and 0.1% commercial yeast extract. These reactivated precultures were then used to inoculate pasteurized milk products, respectively, which were subsequently fermented at 32 ℃ until a pH of 4.5 was reached. The primary composition of example 1 (1%) was added to this fermented yoghurt-like milk product and stored at 4 ℃.

Example 4: pet food

The feed mixture comprises corn, corn yellow slurry, chicken and fish, salt, vitamins and minerals. The moist feed from the pre-treatment unit is fed to an extruder-cooker and allowed to gel. The gelled matrix exiting the extruder is then passed through a die and extruded. The extrudate exiting the die was divided into pieces suitable for feeding canines, dried at about 110 ℃ for about 20 minutes, and cooled to form pellets. The final water activity of the pellet was about 0.6.

These pellets were coated by spraying a coating containing tallow and the primary composition prepared in example 1.

Example 5: cosmetic for oral administration

A composition in the form of a hard capsule having the following formulation:

TABLE 1

Compound (I)	mg/capsule
		Composition of example 1	500
		Excipients for cores
Microcrystalline cellulose	70
		Encompress TM	60
Magnesium stearate	3
		Anhydrous colloidal silica	1
Coating agent
		Lac	5
Talc	61
		Sucrose	250
Polyvidone	6
		Titanium dioxide	0.3
Coloring agent	5

The composition can be administered to adults in an amount of 2-3 capsules per day. Example 6: bioavailability of zeaxanthin from a wolfberry preparation

Two wolfberry formulations were prepared as follows:

treatment method A

2kg of dried wolfberry fruit were rinsed with tap water and added to 12 litres of milk (reconstituted with 1kg of skimmed milk powder) at 30 ℃ under mixing with Polytron (KINEMATICA dispersion and mixing technique, PT 120/4M). The mixture was raised to 80 ℃ under a nitrogen atmosphere and stored for 15 minutes. During Polytron treatment, the temperature of the mixture was maintained at 80-85 ℃ by a water bath and subsequently cooled to room temperature. The resulting mixture was then centrifuged at 2000G for 10 minutes. The solid residue was discarded. After addition of 1.3kg of maltodextrin (IT06), the liquid phase was freeze-dried. Finally, the dried product was milled to obtain 3kg of an orange-yellow powder.

Processing method B

0.5kg of dried wolfberry fruit was milled into a powder with 0.5kg of dry ice using a Kenwood & Buhler mill. The powder mixture was stored in an oven at room temperature under vacuum for 1 hour. The resulting powder was added to 0.8 l of water (83 ℃) in a double-jacketed reactor equipped with a stirrer. After the temperature had risen back to 80 ℃, the resulting suspension was subjected to a heat treatment under nitrogen for about 7 minutes. The suspension is then freeze-dried to obtain a pasteurized powder of Lycium barbarum.

Treatment method C

Optisharp 5% CWS/S-TG is a reddish, fine-grained powder from DSM comprising synthetic zeaxanthin finely dispersed in a corn starch coated modified edible starch matrix.

A clinical study was conducted on these three formulations, where 12 individuals consumed each formulation (all adjusted to 15mg of endogenous zeaxanthin) in one meal over a three week interval, along with sufficient amounts of oil and carbohydrate.

It was observed that the absorption of zeaxanthin from wolfberry obtained with treatment a was significantly better than that obtained with treatment B, as measured in chylomicron fractions of blood samples taken 10 hours after ingestion (table 2). Similar zeaxanthin uptake was also observed with treatment C.

Table 2: zeaxanthin bioavailability from wolfberry preparations and formulated synthetic zeaxanthin.

Treatment method	CMaximum ofn mol/l (unadjusted for use as baseline (0 time)	AUC n mol/l x h base line regulated
			A	1.72(0.46)	9.73(2.45)
B	0.69(0.21)	3.14(1.09)
			C	1.86(0.39)	8.34(1.69)

Example 7:

3kg of dried wolfberry fruit were rinsed with tap water and added to 18 l of milk (reconstituted with 0.85kg of skimmed milk powder) with stirring at 30 ℃ under Polytron (KINEMATICA dispersion and mixing technique, PT 120/4M). The mixture was kept at 30 ℃ under a nitrogen atmosphere and treatment with Polytron was continued for 30 minutes. The resulting mixture was then centrifuged at 2000G for 10 minutes. The solid residue was discarded. After addition of 2kg of maltodextrin (IT06), the liquid phase was pasteurized and subsequently freeze-dried. The dried product was finally milled to give 4.4kg of an orange-red powder which showed very good water dispersibility and improved zeaxanthin stability compared to the wolfberry fruit powder.

Claims (19)

1. A mixable primary composition comprising at least the essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive components of whole fruit, vegetable and/or plant material, excluding insoluble fibers, in a milk or milk protein containing carrier.

2. The primary composition of claim 1, wherein the fruit, vegetable and/or plant material is in the form of vegetables, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and other parts of the plant or mixtures thereof.

3. The primary composition of claim 1 or 2, wherein the fruit, vegetable and/or plant material is a berry such as wolfberry, blueberry, cranberry, white currant, red currant, black currant, mulberry, blackberry, gooseberry, raspberry, sea buckthorn, strawberry, bayberry, grape, or other fruit, vegetable, seed, flower or plant material rich in flavonoids, polyphenols or carotenoids, such as apple, melon, kiwi, cherry, red date, plum, peach, persimmon, citrus plants such as mandarin, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and chamomile, chrysanthemum, bitter orange, honeysuckle, jasmine and safflower, and tomato, spinach, celery, carrot, pea, kale, parsley, watercress, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, brussels sprouts, collard greenish blue green, turnip green, fennel, onion, tea, corn, cocoa, coffee, cranberry, white currant, red currant, black currant, blueberry, citrus, Thyme or sweet pepper.

4. The primary composition of claim 1, wherein the essential lipophilic and hydrophilic bioactive ingredients are lipids, alkaloids, proteins, carbohydrates, carotenoids, polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids, vitamins or minerals.

5. The primary composition of claim 4, wherein the flavonoid is a flavonoid such as apigenin, luteolin or diosmetin, a flavonol such as quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, a flavanone such as naringenin, hesperidin, a catechinic acid such as epicatechin, gallocatechin, an anthocyanidins such as malvidin, anthocyanidins or an isoflavonoid such as genistein, daidzein.

6. The primary composition of claim 4, wherein the carotenoids are carotenes and xanthophylls, such as lycopene, carotene, phytofluene, phytoene, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin, β -cryptoxanthin, capsaicine, lutein, zeaxanthin, or these in the form of fatty acid esters.

7. The primary composition of claim 1, wherein the milk is of animal or vegetable origin.

8. The primary composition of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the composition is in the form of a powder, a gel or a liquid.

9. A method of preparing the composition of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

i) mixing and milling fruit, vegetable and/or plant material in milk or a liquid medium containing milk protein,

ii) separating the insoluble fibres to obtain an aqueous suspension

iii) optionally pasteurizing the resulting suspension

iv) optionally adding synthetic or natural bioactive ingredients during the treatment

v) further optionally drying the suspension to obtain a powder.

10. A method for improving the miscibility and dispersibility, the stability and the bioavailability of biologically active compounds in fruit, vegetable and/or plant materials in aqueous systems, wherein a primary composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or a method according to claim 9 is used.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, wherein the natural bioactive ingredient is an amino acid, a fatty acid, a vitamin, a mineral, a carotenoid, a polyphenol, or the like.

12. An oral composition comprising a primary composition according to any one of claims 1 to 8 for use in a food product for oral administration, such as in a nutritional composition, a food supplement, a pet food product, a cosmetic preparation or a pharmaceutical preparation.

13. The oral composition of claim 12, wherein the composition is a nutritionally complete formula, a dairy product, a chilled or shelf stable beverage, a mineral or purified water, a liquid drink, a soup, a dietary supplement, a meal replacement product, a nutritional bar, a dessert, milk or fermented milk, a yogurt, a milk-based powder, an enteral nutrition, an infant formula, an infant nutrition, a cereal product or a fermented cereal-based product, an ice cream, a chocolate, coffee, a culinary product such as mayonnaise, tomato paste or salad dressing, or a pet food.

14. An oral cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition comprising the primary composition of claims 1-8, said composition being a tablet, capsule, pill, solution, suspension, syrup, dry oral supplement, wet oral supplement.

15. Use of a primary composition according to claims 1-8 for providing multiple nutrients of functional ingredients in fruit and plant material with improved bioavailability, miscibility and stability.

16. Use of a primary composition according to claims 1 to 8 for the preparation of an oral, cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for improving skin health, in particular for photoprotection of the skin or for preventing ageing of skin tissue.

17. Use of a primary composition according to claims 1-8 for the preparation of an oral, topical or pharmaceutical composition for ocular health.

18. Use of a primary composition according to claims 1 to 8 for the preparation of an oral, cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for stimulating the immune system.

19. Use of a primary composition according to claims 1-8 for the preparation of an oral, cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of cardiovascular diseases or disorders or cancer or diabetes.