There is increasing demand from consumers for more natural foods with potential health benefits. The marine environment is an abundant source of potentially health-promoting substances like bioactive peptides, polyunsaturated fats, photosynthetic pigments, antioxidants, and antimicrobials. The application of these substances in the food and pharmaceutical industries is often limited by their low water-solubility, poor oral bioavailability, adverse food matrix interactions, and undesirable impact on sensory attributes. Nano-scaled delivery systems have been developed to address many of these challenges.

In this article, a review of the current understanding of nanostructured delivery vehicles for hydrophobic marine-derived bioactive agents is given. In particular, the most common kinds of delivery systems and their production techniques are discussed. The relative advantages and disadvantages of nanoliposomes, nanoemulsions, lipid nanoparticles, and polymeric nanoparticles are critically assessed. The bioavailability, sensory characteristics, and potential toxicity of encapsulated marine bioactives are also reviewed.

Recent advances in the design of bio-based delivery vehicles offer the possibility of enhancing marine bioactives' performance within functional food products. These performance enhancements include: (i) tunable release characteristics; (ii) increased bioavailability; (iii) improved organoleptic properties; and (iv) reduced toxicity. However, more in vivo pharmacokinetic studies are required to verify the efficacy and safety of specific nano-enabled delivery vehicles.