Heart problems are the biggest killers in the country. Two deaths are recorded every three minutes. And by the end of the year, the Brazilian Society of Cardiology estimates that 400 people will be victims of heart problems in the country. 18,4 million Brazilians have high blood cholesterol levels, which is considered a risk factor.
Concerned about these numbers, the startup Cognita Technology – formed by Unicamp students and alumni – works with nanotechnology to increase the supply of functional foods that help control cholesterol. With this in mind, a new technology was developed, already patented, that uses lipid nanostructures, made from conventional oils, to carry bioactive compounds in foods, maintaining their stability without promoting unwanted changes in the products to which they are added.
These compounds are phytosterols, plant sterols, naturally present in some grains and oils, such as soybeans. They act as blood cholesterol reducers, as they compete with animal sterol, cholesterol, at the time of absorption. They are also present in other foods of plant origin, but in small proportions. Therefore, the amount of phytosterols consumed by people is still far below that recommended for reducing blood cholesterol levels.
Nanoparticles with phytosterols were developed during doctoral research in food chemistry, Valeria da Silva Santos, supervised in partnership by professors Maria Helena Andrade Santana, from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering (FEQ) and Ana Paula Badan Ribeiro, from the Faculty of Engineering of Food (FEA), from Unicamp. The patent application was made to the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) by the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency, which was also responsible for the license with the newly founded company.
Ana Paula explains that there are two types of phytosterols in nature. The esterified substance is linked to a fatty acid molecule and, therefore, is soluble in oil, already being used by the food industry in only one margarine commercially available in Brazil. Free phytosterol is about ten times more effective for reducing cholesterol, although it is insoluble. When added to foods, free phytosterols crystallize, precipitate and, in general, are not incorporated effectively.
Nanoparticles were developed precisely to coat free phytosterols and prevent this unwanted crystallization, which can cause phase separation in the products to which they are added. They are made from conventional oils such as soybean, canola, sunflower and other edible vegetable fats, which are also natural sources of phytosterols. According to Ana Paula, this is the first patent in the world to use such technology. “The technology does not require any chemical synthesis, we do not have any process that involves the use of solvents. It is a process that is completely within the context of the oils and fats industry.”, assesses the FEA professor.
Read article in full published on the Unicamp Innovation Agency (Inova) website.
