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Bioactives can impact food function either by their dosage or by their forms of dispersion, though the latter remains mostly neglected. Here we report the incidental nanoparticles (iNPs) carrying hepatoprotective bioactives identified in freshwater clam (Corbicula fluminea Muller) soup, which is a folk remedy for liver conditions in East Asia. The soup was fractionated into two iNPs containing fractions with high yield (95.8%) in 35 min by gel chromatography. With hydrodynamic diameter (D h) range from 40 nm to 149 nm, iNPs were mainly constituted by carbohydrates and proteins. Notably, the majority of bioactives, e.g. taurine (63.2%), ornithine (68.1%) and phytosterols (60.0%), was determined to be carried by the iNPs. It suggested a possible mechanism of elevated delivery and absorption of bioactives, explaining why the clam soup can work at the bioactive concentrations way lower than the individual compound. These iNPs have great potential to be developed into a functional food with most potent nutraceutical effects. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Food-derived nanoparticles were separated from complex matrix within 5 mins by CZE. • The NPs were quantified by CZE with satisfactory precision and reproducibility. • Useful for studying other food NPs and interactions of NPs with biological samples. Food processing generates a large amount of self-assembled colloidal nanoparticles (NPs), which have defined structures and directly interact with macrophages. Their promising potential as a new source of functional NPs and a key to elucidate food-body interactions prompt the importance of the method development. This study attempts to apply capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in studying self-assembled nanoparticles in a real liquid food system of freshwater clam (Corbicula fluminea) soup, a popular delicacy in East Asia with proven hepatoprotective effects. The soup sample was satisfactorily separated into one nanoparticle fraction and multiple molecular fractions within five minutes by the single and rapid CZE analysis, which was of high repeatability (peak area RSD < 4%, migration time RSD < 1%) and accurate quantification with a linear area-number relationship in the range of (7.5–110) × 1011 particles/mL (R2 > 0.99). Therefore, CZE analysis can be an efficient tool for the investigation of self-assembled nanoparticles in real liquid food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]