Process for extracting substances of interest

A process for extracting at least one substance of interest from a source, the process comprising the following steps of:

• providing a mixture comprising water, a source comprising the at least one substance of interest or at least one precursor thereof, at least one surfactant, and at least one lipophilic compound;
• and
• emulsifying the mixture, thereby forming an emulsion;
• wherein the emulsion comprises:
• a continuous aqueous phase;
• and
• a discontinuous lipid phase comprising the at least one lipophilic compound, the at least one surfactant, and the at least one substance of interest extracted from the source during emulsifying;
• wherein the source is a plant, an animal, a mineral, a prokaryote, and/or a unicellular eukaryote source;
• and
• wherein the process further comprises adding at least one cryoprotectant to the mixture and freeze-drying the emulsion;
• and
• wherein adding at least one cryoprotectant to the mixture is performed after emulsifying the mixture, in a weight-to-volume ratio of at least 5% w/v based on the total volume of the mixture excluding the source.