Chapter 7 - Engineering Hydrogel Microspheres for Healthy and Tasty Foods

Abstract

Hydrogel microspheres made with food-grade biopolymers, such as proteins and polysaccharides, have become a highly active research area in both applied and fundamental food science studies. This is because hydrogel particles can be formulated with a diverse range of microstructures, rheological properties, and responses to environmental stimuli. The tunable nature of the physicochemical properties of hydrogel particles leads to many potential applications in texture control, encapsulation, and/or targeted delivery of bioactive components. This chapter provides a brief overview of the molecular characteristics of common biopolymers used to assemble hydrogel particles, the major principles of structural formation used to assemble these particles, and the functional properties of hydrogel particles in food applications.