Hydrogel particles and other novel protein-based methods for food ingredient and nutraceutical delivery systems

Impact of Protein Gel Porosity on the Digestion of Lipid Emulsions

“…alginate, agar, agarose) and proteins (e.g. gelatine) are used to design the properties of hydrogel network (45)(46)(47)(48).…”

Controlling microstructure and physical properties of biopolymer hydrogel particles through modulation of electrostatic interactions

“…These delivery systems should be fabricated from food-grade ingredients using processing operations that are economically feasible, they should be compatible with the food matrix, and they should have the desired functional attributes. Hydrogel particles fabricated from proteins and dietary fibers have considerable potential for this kind of application because they can be used to encapsulate, protect, and release a variety of different bioactive components (Matalanis et al, 2011;Norton and Frith, 2001;Norton and Norton, 2010;Shewan and Stokes, 2013;Wang et al, 2012).…”

Understanding Food Structures

“…Using the injection method, for example, emulsion droplets can be mixed into a solution of a hydrocolloid (alginate) and then injected into a solution containing calcium ions to induce rapid gelation. The release of functional components from food after eating may be achieved by controlling the shrinkage/ swelling of hydrogel microparticles or by triggering their degradation/dissolution as a consequence of changing pH, temperature, or enzymatic conditions (Wang et al, 2012). For instance, the digestion of protein-stabilized lipid droplets under simulated intestinal conditions has been shown to be appreciably delayed by encapsulating the droplets in hydrogel beads made from complex coacervates of chitosan þ calcium alginate .…”