Incorporation of Plant-Based Functional Ingredients for Enhancing Antioxidant Potential in Food Systems-A Review

Abstract

Oxidative degradation in foods leads to losses in quality, shelf life and nutritional content, while oxidative stress in people has been associated with chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, neurodegeneration and cancer. Growing consumer demand for “clean-label” products and concerns about synthetic antioxidants are driving increased interest in plant-based functional compounds rich in phenolics, carotenoids, vitamins, and bioactive peptides. This study summarizes the current research on the introduction of plant-derived functional elements to improve the antioxidant capacity of food systems. Major classes and sources of plant antioxidants (phenolic compounds from fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and by-products; carotenoid-rich extracts; standardized medicinal plant extracts; protein or polysaccharide-based ingredients) and their mechanisms of action (radical scavenging, metal chelation, physical barrier effects, etc.) are described. The review also covers technological approaches for stabilization and delivery of these ingredients, such as microencapsulation, nanoencapsulation, cyclodextrin inclusion, and biopolymer-based edible films and coatings, and illustrates their application in dairy, bakery, beverage, meat and packaging systems. It projects the main elements impacting the efficiency of antioxidants, such as matrix interactions, processing conditions, bioavailability and sensory impacts, and the prospects for sustainability through the valorization of plant by-products in the context of a circular economy. Finally, research gaps are addressed on the standardized evaluation techniques, structure–function linkages and translation of in vitro antioxidant capacity into in vivo health outcomes to direct future effort in building next-generation functional foods.