Encapsulation in Food Systems: From Technique‐Driven Approaches to Functional, Scalable, and Sustainable Industrial Applications

Encapsulation is an essential technology for the stabilization and controlled delivery of bioactive compounds in contemporary foods, but studies are mostly technique-based and seem not to be associated with the actual performance in the world. This review considers micro- and nanoencapsulation based on real-world performance bioavailability, food-matrix compatibility, industrial scalability, and regulatory feasibility, as well as long-term environmental sustainability as opposed to encapsulation efficiencies in the laboratory. We demonstrate that high encapsulation efficacy is not necessarily enhanced in shelf life, sensory, or physiological efficacy in realistic processing and storage, as well as gastrointestinal processes. The interactions between the wall cores and the kinetics of release and the destabilization, which is caused by the matrix, are mostly ignored. The comparison of encapsulated vitamins, probiotics, plant extracts, and essential oils indicates that there are structure and methodological gaps that restrict the use of these products in industries. To solve these obstacles, we introduce a decision-based model, which combines technical performance with economic viability, compliance with regulations, and environmental impact with the implementation of a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) to balance the weighted and quantitative advice. To achieve the potential of the full industrialization of encapsulated food products, it is necessary to shift to performance-oriented optimization as opposed to the use of the method.