Food Biopolymers Research Articles

Biopolymer-Based Nanotechnology Approaches To Deliver Bioactive Compounds for Food Applications: A Perspective on the Past, Present, and Future.

Food nanotechnology is an emerging and rapidly evolving field that encompasses an extremely broad range of disciplines and has found various applications in different food sectors. The objective of this perspective is to update the current knowledge on the nanotechnology-based approaches to prepare delivery vehicles for bioactive compounds. Research progress on the development of nanoparticles made from food biopolymers (i.e., protein and polysaccharide) is particularly highlighted. In addition, two types of most recently developed nanoscale delivery systems, i.e., protein-polysaccharide complex and lipid-biopolymer hybrid nanoparticles, are introduced, and their relevant applications are discussed. Finally, suggestions for future research directions on developing safe, effective, and edible nanoscale delivery vehicles for food applications are provided.

Design principles of food gels.

Naturally sourced gels from food biopolymers have advanced in recent decades to compare favourably in performance and breadth of application to their synthetic counterparts. Here, we comprehensively review the constitutive nature, gelling mechanisms, design approaches, and structural and mechanical properties of food gels. We then consider how these food gel design principles alter rheological and tribological properties for food quality improvement, nutrient-modification of foods while preserving sensory perception, and targeted delivery of drugs and bioactives within the gastrointestinal tract. We propose that food gels may offer advantages over their synthetic counterparts owing to their source renewability, low cost, biocompatibility and biodegradability. We also identify emerging approaches and trends that may improve and expand the current scope, properties and functionalities of food gels and inspire new applications.

Integrating Biomaterials and Food Biopolymers for Cultured Meat Production

Integrating Biomaterials and Food Biopolymers for Cultured Meat Production

Shellac hologram

The results of experimental research of rainbow holograms made of edible shellac, analysis of diffraction efficiency and analysis of the hologram lifetime in various environmental conditions are reported in this work. The properties of shellac as a food biopolymer allow to use it for creation edible holographic coatings on food and pharmaceutical products. Edible shellac holograms can be use for creation images not using food dyes, original appearance, labels, sensors of shelf life and observance of storage regulations of products.

Potential Applications of High Pressure Homogenization in Winemaking: A Review

High pressure homogenization (HPH) is an emerging technology with several possible applications in the food sector, such as nanoemulsion preparation, microbial and enzymatic inactivation, cell disruption for the extraction of intracellular components, as well as modification of food biopolymer structures to steer their functionalities. All these effects are attributable to the intense mechanical stresses, such as cavitation and shear forces, suffered by the product during the passage through the homogenization valve. The exploitation of the disruptive forces delivered during HPH was also recently proposed for winemaking applications. In this review, after a general description of HPH and its main applications in food processing, the survey is extended to the use of this technology for the production of wine and fermented beverages, particularly focusing on the effects of HPH on the inactivation of wine microorganisms and the induction of yeast autolysis. Further enological applications of HPH technology, such as its use for the production of inactive dry yeast preparations, are also discussed.

Effect of carboxymethylcellulose on the affinity between lysozyme and liposome monolayers:evidence for its bacteriostatic mechanism

Lysozyme (Ly), as an important natural preservative, easily interacts with anionic polysaccharides in food, which results in low and unstable bacteriostatic activity. The interaction of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) with Ly was used to investigate the mechanism of the bioactivity changes caused by Ly binding polysaccharides. The affinity of Ly or Ly-CMC complexes for a mixed monolayer liposome (Lip) as an in vitro biomembrane model was characterized by using dynamic light scattering, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, fluorescence analysis and interface activity measurements. The results showed that the affinity between Ly and Lip mainly depended on hydrophobic and electrostatic forces. The electrostatic interaction in Ly-CMC weakened the Ly-Lip affinity and altered the spatial conformation of Ly molecules. Furthermore, CMC screened the active sites of Ly and neutralized the charge of Ly, which may reduce its bioactivity. The presence of CMC decreased the increase in surface pressure in the Lip-Ly interface, which means that Ly-CMC has a lower insertion capacity and ability to induce lipid molecule rearrangement than Ly alone, indicating an inferior bacteriostatic ability. Our work explains how the bacteriostatic mechanism of Ly is affected by food biopolymers.

Method for Evaluation of the Antioxidant Properties of Preparations in Model System Based on Paprika Carotenoids

A method for the estimation of antioxidant properties of natural and synthetic preparations was developed based on inhibition of the autoxidation of paprika carotenoids. Carotenoids in the form of paprika extract were coated on a porous inert polysaccharide. Autoxidation of paprika carotenoids occurs more rapidly in such system than with direct methods for the determination of antioxidant inhibitory properties. It was shown that the developed method had good reproducibility. The behavior of paprika carotenoids, which was studied in systems with various types of starches, showed that the developed method could be used to evaluate the protective properties of food biopolymers in relation to lipid autoxidation. Moreover, the method is effective for comparison of the activity of both synthetic and natural antioxidants. The most important advantage of the method is that paprika carotenoids are almost identical to unsaturated fatty acids in their ability to interact with oxygen radicals of oxidants. Therefore, the results reflect the behavior of antioxidants in both real lipid-containing model systems and food products.

Moringa oleifera oil influence on biodegradation behaviour of polymers

ABSTRACTVegetable oils (VOs) can be used as plasticizers or as biodegrading additives for commercial polymers. According to the literature, the use of concentrations higher than 5% of oils added to polymers or their mixtures indicated loss of mechanical properties on the final product. However, VOs can be used as a compatibilizer for the mixture of synthetic polymers with biopolymers (PM) under concentrations higher than 5%. Moringa oleifera oil (MO) was used as a compatibilizer to PM mixtures using oil concentrations higher than 5%, 10% and 15% in mass. PMs were analysed at first based on mechanical properties which indicated a better concentration at 15% of MO. This article presents a study of MO influence on biodegradation behaviour of PM, which was composed of low-density polyethylene obtained from food bags and biopolymers (PB) obtained in market plastic bags. PM doped with different concentrations of MO was submitted to studies of mechanical, chemical, morphological and thermal properties and their biodegradation behaviour was evaluated. The concentration of 15% of MO increased the thermal resistance of PM, improved the biodegradation behaviour according to controlled and free tests and reduced its stiffness without a loss of important mechanical properties. The results of this work showed that MO influenced positively the biodegradation of the PM mixture by improving 30% of the degrading speed.

Self-assembled curcumin-soluble soybean polysaccharide nanoparticles: Physicochemical properties and in vitro anti-proliferation activity against cancer cells

Nanoencapsulation of lipophilic bioactive compounds in food biopolymers is important to functional beverages, but protein-based nanocapsules are unstable around the isoelectric point of protein. The objectives of this work were to study physicochemical properties of self-assembled curcumin-soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) nanoparticles and evaluate the activities against proliferation of human colon HCT116 and mammary adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cancer cells before and after simulated digestions. Capsules with a hydrodynamic diameter of 200–300 nm and an encapsulation efficiency of ∼90% were self-assembled after increasing curcumin-SSPS mixture to pH 12.0 and lowering pH to 7.0. The capsule dispersions were stable at pH 2.0–7.0 and after heating at 95 °C for 1 min. No significant difference was observed for the viability of HCT 116 and MCF-7 cells challenged with 0.4, 4.0, and 40 μg/ml nanoencapsulated curcumin before and after simulated gastric and intestinal digestions. These findings may be significant to help develop functional beverages for disease prevention.

Fabrication of Surface-Active Antioxidant Food Biopolymers: Conjugation of Catechin Polymers to Egg White Proteins

The oxidation of unsaturated lipids commonly occurs at oil-water interfaces in heterogeneous foods (such as emulsions), and so there is a need for surface-active antioxidants to inhibit lipid oxidation. In this study, catechin was oxidatively polymerized by horseradish peroxidase to obtain catechin polymers (CTP). An amphiphilic antioxidant was then produced by conjugating CTP with egg white proteins (EWP) using a hydrogen peroxide-ascorbic acid pair as a radical initiator system. The covalent attachment of CTP to EWP was confirmed by electrophoresis, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and fluorescence analyses. The antioxidant capacity of CTP-EWP conjugates was evaluated using several in vitro models. The conjugates exhibited strong scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (79% at 1 mg/mL), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (97% at 0.5 mg/mL), and had a high ferric reducing power. Furthermore, CTP-EWP conjugates exhibited an inhibitive effect on lipid peroxidation in linoleic acid oil-in-water emulsions, indicating that the conjugates may have potential applications in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Moving from molecules, to structure, to texture perception

The two main food biopolymers, proteins and polysaccharides, are used in many foods to form structures that are the basis of product identity and quality. One of the main factors determining food quality is texture. A simplistic view of food is that molecules are assembled into structures, and the breakdown of structures during oral processing determines texture. There have been great advancements in understanding mechanisms for how proteins and polysaccharides assemble into structures, and factors determining the mechanical properties of the structures. In contrast, the understanding of how breakdown of structures during oral processing produces specific textural properties is still incomplete. Structuring processes based on protein-polysaccharide mixtures and emulsion gels are evaluated regarding structure formation and texture perception. It is shown that these systems can be designed to modulate specific textural properties. Finally, future trends in this area are discussed.

Effects of the Sonochemistry in the Rheology of Food Media

Interaction of water with food biopolymers (their hydration) is one of the major problems in food industry. Useful reactions in food media that are initiated by ultrasound are based on the mechanisms of action of cavitation in the restructuring of hydration shells of ions in true solution and colloidal phase dispersion. Bonds formed by dipole-dipole and ion-dipole interactions are the impact objects. In this work we studied the effect of ultrasound on functional and technological properties of meat raw materials, their water-binding and water retention ability, viscosity. Ultrasonic treatment of meat is important for intensification of technological processes.

Development of “all natural” layer-by-layer redispersible solid lipid nanoparticles by nano spray drying technology

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have gained tremendous attraction as carriers for controlled drug delivery. Despite numerous advances in the field, one long-standing historical challenge for their practical applications remains unmet: redispersibility after drying. In this work, a novel design of SLNs using a layer-by-layer (LbL) technique was developed and the formulations were optimized by surface response methodology (Box-Behnken design). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the fabrication of SLNs from all natural ingredients in the absence of any synthetic surfactants or coatings. The SLNs were prepared by a combined solvent-diffusion and hot homogenization method, with soy lecithin as natural emulsifier (first layer), followed by the subsequent coating with sodium caseinate (second layer) and pectin (third layer), both of which are natural food biopolymers. The adsorption of pectin coating onto caseinate was reinforced by hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions induced by a pH-driven process along with thermal treatment. The innovative nano spray drying technology was further explored to obtain ultra-fine powders of SLNs. Compared to uncoated or single-layer coated SLNs powders, which showed severe aggregation after spray drying, the well-separated particles with spherical shape and smooth surface were obtained for layer-by-layer (LbL) SLNs, which were redispersible into water without variation of dimension, shape and morphology. The SLNs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and high-performance differential scanning calorimetry for their physical properties. The LbL-coated SLNs based on all natural ingredients have promising features for future applications as drug delivery systems, overcoming the major obstacles in conventional spray drying and redispersing SLNs-based formulations.

Particle tracking microrheology of the power-law viscoelasticity of xanthan solutions

We use particle tracking microrheology to obtain the power-law dynamical behaviour of xanthan in several aqueous solution conditions and illustrate that the probe particle motion is subdiffusive even at low xanthan concentrations. Analysis of the concentration dependence of xanthan’s viscoelasticity is described in terms of linear and comb polyelectrolyte rheological models. There is a clear distinction between two power-law regimes i.e. unentangled and entangled of the modulus prefactor as a function of concentration. The critical entanglement concentration and the power-law exponents are investigated in terms of their dependence on the content and valency of the added salts. Above the entanglement concentration the deviation of the particles motion from Brownian diffusion depends strongly on concentration. Linear complex viscosity is compared to nonlinear steady shear rate viscosity in an illustration of predicting the nonlinear rheology from particle tracking measurements in food biopolymer solutions. Finally in renatured xanthan solutions the viscoelasticity enhancement by temperature treatment is demonstrated to be more effective in the entangled region.

Factors controlling the turbidity of submicron emulsions stabilized by food biopolymers and natural surfactant

There is a market need of emulsion-based beverages to delivery insoluble materials and yet provide desirable appearance (cloudy or transparent). Submicron emulsions (70–450 nm) stabilized by modified starch (MS), whey protein isolate (WPI), and Quillaja saponins (QS) were prepared using microfluidization. Emulsions were characterized by dynamic light scattering, cryogenic scanning electron microscopy, and turbidimeter. Factors influencing the formation and turbidity of prepared emulsions were evaluated. Results showed that mean droplet diameter (MDD) of prepared emulsions decreased with increasing emulsifier concentration, homogenization pressure (41, 96 and 152 MPa), and number of passes (1–6) through a Microfluidizer®. When MDD >100 nm, lipid phase with higher refractive index imparted higher turbidity. WPI and QS interface imparted higher turbidity than MS interface. As MDD decreased to about 100 nm, turbidity was independent of lipid phase and interface composition. Turbidity and MDD showed polynomial correlation with maximum turbidity achieved at MDD of around 500 nm. Turbidity increased linearly with dispersed phase concentration (0.1–1 mg/g) and decreased with increasing refractive index of continuous phase (1.333–1.442). This study provides valuable information for the formulation of emulsion-based beverages with specified turbidity.

Binding of Volatile Organic Compounds to Food Biopolymers

Capillary gas chromatography was used to study the influence of the composition and structure of different food polymers (polysaccharides, vegetable fibers, and animal protein gelatin) on the binding of essential oil components. The retention of volatile organic compounds on biopolymers was shown to depend on their molecule structure and the presence, type, and position of a functional group. The maximum extent of the binding was observed for nonpolar terpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, and the minimum extent was observed for alcohols. The components of essential oils were adsorbed due mostly to hydrophobic interactions. It was shown that the composition and structure of a compound, its physico-chemical state, and the presence of functional groups influence the binding. Gum arabic and guar gum were found to bind nonpolar compounds to a maximum and minimum extent, respectively. It was demonstrated the minimum adsorption ability of locust bean gum with respect to all studied compounds.

Clean Labels: The New Wave Sweeping the Fermented Milks Industry

Functional ingredients from naturally occurring food biopolymers are a trend catching up amongst food and beverage developers. This is driven by the demand of consumers for clean label ingredient listings on products. The clean label trend is extending into the yogurt market (acid gel) with consumers demanding hydrocolloids, stabilizers or thickeners are purged from ingredient listings. Substituting hydrocolloids in food systems especially yogurts could mean compromising on rheological properties and water holding capacities. However, structure functionality relationship of naturally occurring biopolymer caseins in milk can be exploited to overcome this foreseen loss of product characteristics. The following review is an attempt to delineate clean label solutions for the manufacture of acid milk gels.

Lemon oil nanoemulsions fabricated with sodium caseinate and Tween 20 using phase inversion temperature method

The phase inversion temperature (PIT) method has been studied to fabricate nanoemulsions using non-ionic synthetic surfactants, but not food biopolymers. The objective of this study was to investigate the PIT formation of lemon oil nanoemulsions by combinations of Tween 20 and sodium caseinate (NaCas). The emulsions prepared with combinations of NaCas and Tween 20 had lower turbidity and smaller droplets than those prepared with one surfactant, and the co-adsorption of NaCas on oil droplets decreased with increasing Tween 20 concentration. Negative and positive impacts on nanoemulsion formation were observed at 0.2–0.4 and 0.6–0.8 mM NaCl, respectively. Turbidity and rheology results showed the PIT between 80 and 90 °C. The nanoemulsions prepared with 2% NaCas, 0.4–1.2% Tween 20 and 1.5% lemon oil had a volume-area mean diameter of around 100 nm and were stable during 15-day storage. Therefore, NaCas can be used to partially replace synthetic surfactants to prepare flavor oils nanoemulsions using the PIT method.

Viscoelastic properties and physicochemical characteristics of pressurized ostrich-meat emulsions containing gum additives

Abstract Minced-ostrich meat was blended and chopped with various proportions of gum powder in terms of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), locust bean gum (LBG) and xanthan gum (XAN) and other ingredients such as sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, linseed oil and ice. The mixed batters were then pressurized at 600 MPa and 50 °C for 40 min. Subsequently, their viscoelastic and physicochemical properties were assessed in terms of their dynamic oscillatory moduli, their resultant creep behavior, water-holding capacity and electrophoretic profiles. The results showed that the addition of individual gums and composite gum mixtures influenced both viscoelastic behavior and water-holding capacity of resulting pressurized ostrich-meat emulsions. The most elastic system (greatest G′ or smallest J0 with 4.21 × 10− 5 1/Pa) was the meat emulsion with 1% LBG added, while the least were those formed by adding 1% XAN or 0.5% XAN plus 0.5% CMC (J0 with 10 × 10− 5 and 20.3 × 10− 5 1/Pa, respectively). Subsequent electrophoritic profiles and the measurement of the water-holding capacity of the materials suggested an evidence of ionic interaction between the basic ostrich-meat protein matrix and XAN or XAN plus CMC. Industrial relevance Ostrich meat emulsions containing composite gums were set by combined pressure and temperature. Subsequently, the pressurized gels were characterized by dynamic oscillatory, creep and other physicochemical measurements. In particular, the viscoelastic measuring system is a promising tool for ensuring quality of food biopolymers. Therefore, this methodology is relevant in the area of controlling quality or developing new products where difficulty exists in solubilising the samples.

Preparation and characterization of nanoemulsions stabilized by food biopolymers using microfluidization

AbstractEmulsions are widely used in beverage products and typically impart cloudiness to the beverage. Nanoemulsions have the potential to provide a transparent appearance to the beverage. The objective of the present study was to investigate the formation of nanoemulsions using food biopolymers and its potential for clear beverage applications. The biopolymers chosen for study were Gum Arabic (GA), modified gum arabic (MGA), whey protein isolate (WPI) and modified starch (Purity Gum 2000, MS). Weighted orange oil terpenes (OT) and medium chain triglycerides (MCT) were used as the dispersed phase. Nanoemulsions were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (Cryo‐SEM) and turbidimeter. Except for the WPI stabilized nanoemulsions, higher homogenization pressures (up to 22 000 psi) and a greater number of passes (up to 7) through a Microfluidizer® produced nanoemulsions with a smaller mean droplet diameter in volume (MDD, dV). MS showed the best performance of the food biopolymers resulting in a MDD as small as 77 nm and a corresponding turbidity of 72 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) at 0.05% of the dispersed phase, whereas GA produced emulsions with the largest MDD. The MDD of MS stabilized nanoemulsions decreased with increasing MS concentrations (from 5 to 25 wt %). The effect of oil types on MDD was complex being dependent on the emulsifier and homogenization pressure. Turbidity of diluted nanoemulsions increases with MDD within the range of 70–300 nm. This study shows food biopolymers can be used to produce nanoemulsions using microfluidization under a high pressure. It was also demonstrated that nanoemulsions with a MDD < 100 nm can provide a clear appearance in beverage applications. The results provide an understanding of how manufacturing parameters and formulation influence the formation of nanoemulsions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.