# Exploring Vitamin D Synthesis and Function in Cardiovascular Health: A Narrative Review
## 6 The Impact of Processing on Vitamin D Levels in Foods and Mitigation Strategies
### Mitigation Strategies to Improve Vitamin D Content in Processed Foods
#### 6.2.4 Encapsulation  
In the field of food technology, fortifying foods with Vitamin D presents numerous challenges, such as ensuring compatibility with various food matrices, achieving even dispersion and uniformity, maintaining stability, and delivering bioavailable doses capable of addressing Vitamin D deficiencies. These obstacles have catalyzed the development of innovative fortification methods across different food products. The increasing consumer interest in functional foods has also propelled the creation and application of novel nanomaterials tailored for food fortification, with numerous nanomaterials proving to be effective vehicles for Vitamin D enhancement. Furthermore, cutting-edge processing methods, including microencapsulation and nanoemulsions, are being explored to encapsulate Vitamin D efficiently, thereby protecting it from thermal degradation during food processing. This technique facilitates controlled release, boosts the physicochemical stability and bioavailability of Vitamin D, and enhances its dispersibility and uniformity within complex food matrices. Microencapsulation involves the encapsulation of active ingredients, such as vitamins, within microscopic particles or capsules made of various materials, including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and polymers. The encapsulation process creates a protective barrier around the active ingredient, preventing its degradation or interaction with external factors such as heat, light, moisture, and oxygen. [PERSON] et al. (2014) investigated the stability of Vitamin D3 encapsulated in nanoparticles of whey protein isolate against degradation parameters such as UV light or oxygen [120]. This study highlights the potential of encapsulation techniques in protecting Vitamin D3 from environmental factors. In addition, [PERSON] et al. (2014) explored the increased stability and protease resistance of the \(\beta\)-lactoglobulin/Vitamin D3 complex, demonstrating that this complexation can significantly protect Vitamin D3 from the damaging effects of UV light [121]. Similar results has been achieved by [PERSON], [PERSON], and [PERSON] (2018), who aimed to optimize Vitamin D3 loading in re-assembled casein micelles and assess the effect of loading on the stability of Vitamin D3 during storage with light exposure [122]. Whena composite gel made from whey protein isolate and lotus root amylopectin was used as an encapsulation method, [PERSON] et al. (2020) markedly highlighted an enhancement in the bioavailability of Vitamin D3 offering substantial protection against degradation from UV light exposure [123]. Moreover, microcapsules can be designed to release the encapsulated Vitamin D slowly over time, ensuring sustained availability and absorption in the body. Encapsulating Vitamin D in microcapsules can enhance its solubility in aqueous solutions, facilitating its incorporation into dairy products without affecting their texture or sensory properties. Moreover, recent advances suggest that nanotechnology can offer substantial stability and uniformity by protecting many vitamins against a wide range of conditions and substances that could otherwise affect their integrity during food processing [124]. The nanoencapsulation of Vitamin D also offers protection against degradation during processing and storage, ensuring the retention of its nutritional benefits in the final product. As an example, [PERSON] and [PERSON] used potato proteins as a natural material to protect and deliver Vitamin D3 in beverages [125]. Nanoemulsions can serve as efficient carriers for encapsulating the vitamin within the dispersed oil phase. The nanoemulsion droplets (typically less than 100 nanometers), act as protective compartments, preventing the direct exposure of Vitamin D to heat and other deleterious factors during processing and providing a protective shell that shields it from thermal degradation during pasteurization [126]. For example, research by [PERSON] et al.