Electrohydrodynamic processing for the production of zein-based microstructures and nanostructures

Abstract

Recently, plant-derived proteins have increased in interest and use owing to a combination of interesting properties and industry-wide trends to replace animal-derived proteins. Electrohydrodynamic processing can be used to develop microstructures and nanostructures of plant proteins in a facile manner and, thus, increase their opportunities in the food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries. One of the most currently studied and promising plant proteins is zein. This review covers the most studied strategies to produce electrospun and electrosprayed zein-based structures. The most relevant properties, such as size, morphology, and surface area, are discussed as per the potential areas of interest, for instance, in the food, biomedical, and pharmaceutical industries. In addition, applications of other electrospun/electrosprayed plant-derived proteins are also presented, confirming the increasing interest of different industries in alternative proteins which can help promote sustainability.