Hydrocolloid microgels are emerging as programmable soft particles for designing low-fat and plant-based foods with improved texture, lubrication, water retention, and sensory quality. Unlike conventional hydrocolloid thickeners, microgels are discrete, hydrated, and deformable particles whose size, swelling behavior, stiffness, internal network density, surface properties, and water mobility can be tuned to reproduce selected functions of fat droplets. This review evaluates hydrocolloid microgels as fat mimetics and oral lubrication modulators by linking particle architecture, rheology, tribology, oral processing, digestion, and real-food performance. Major hydrocolloid materials, including alginate, pectin, gelatin, whey protein, casein, soy protein, pea protein, starch, cellulose derivatives, carrageenan, chitosan, gellan-like systems, and protein–polysaccharide blends, are discussed together with fabrication strategies such as ionic gelation, thermal gelation, acid gelation, enzymatic crosslinking, emulsification-gelation, shearing of bulk gels, spray drying, antisolvent precipitation, and microfluidics. Particular emphasis is placed on how microgel concentration, particle packing, deformability, swelling, surface charge, and interparticle interactions control viscosity, yield stress, shear thinning, viscoelasticity, thixotropic recovery, and weak-gel behavior. The review further highlights the role of microgels in reducing oral friction, improving creaminess, enhancing smoothness, modulating flavor release, and supporting juiciness in low-fat dairy, sauces, dressings, desserts, plant-based dairy analogues, meat analogues, emulsions, encapsulation systems, and 3D-printed foods. Future progress requires standardized characterization, tribology-guided formulation, digestion-aware design, and validation in real food matrices using both instrumental and sensory approaches.
As a by-product of egg processing, eggshell membrane (ESM) possesses great high-value utilization potential. Lemon essential oil features fine antibacterial/antioxidant properties but suffers poor stability. Herein, keratin and gelatin derived from waste eggshell membranes were combined with xanthan gum to construct a ternary bio-stabilizer, and high-stability food-grade lemon essential oil Pickering emulsions were prepared via one-step in-situ emulsification. Effects of oil-water ratio on emulsion properties were systematically explored. Results showed that the ratio of 5:5 (v/v) contributed to compact interfacial films, uniform droplet distribution and elastic cross-linked network with good shear-thinning and self-healing behaviors. The optimized emulsion achieved 49.935% oil loading, endured harsh treatments and maintained stable storage for 49 days. Its essential oil release followed the first-order kinetic model for effective sustained release. Excessive oil phase destroyed system stability and caused phase separation. This work achieves high-value utilization of eggshell membrane wastes and offers a feasible strategy for essential oil encapsulation and food-related applications.
Fingered citron is a pectin-rich citrus resource, but extraction of fingered citron pectin (FCP) using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) remains limited. This study combined conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) prediction with experimental validation to screen NADES for FCP extraction. Thirty-five NADES systems were evaluated using monosaccharides and pectin fragments as molecular models, and five candidates were selected for ultrasound-assisted extraction. Betaine-maltose (Bet-Mal) achieved the highest yield (11.86%), followed by choline chloride-maltose (ChCl-Mal) (9.57%), both higher than water extraction (4.88%). Structural analyses showed that NADES changed the domain composition, molecular size, methyl esterification, surface charge, conformation, and aggregation behavior of FCPs. L-proline-maltose (LP-Mal), Bet-Mal, and choline chloride-fructose (ChCl-Fru) extracted galacturonic acid-rich pectins with high homogalacturonan proportions, whereas glucose-maltose (Glc-Mal) yielded a highly branched rhamnogalacturonan-I-rich fraction with the highest molecular weight (945.2 kDa), largest particle size, and strongest nanoscale aggregation. ChCl-Mal-extracted pectin showed the highest DPPH scavenging activity, while the water-soluble pectin (WSP) had the strongest superoxide anion scavenging activity. The κ-carrageenan composite gels prepared from pectins extracted with different solvents exhibited distinct textural, rheological, thermal, and microstructural characteristics. The LP-Mal-extracted pectin formed the strongest water-retentive gel, with hardness of 1.54 N and water holding capacity of 92.34%, whereas ChCl-Mal and ChCl-Fru showed higher small-deformation viscoelastic moduli. These results provide insight into the solvent-dependent structure–function relationships of FCP and offer a COSMO-RS-guided NADES extraction strategy for obtaining fingered citron pectins with distinct food-related functionalities.
The need for innovative packaging solutions have fuelled the research in indicator films from natural sources. In this study, an intelligent pH-responsive colorimetric film has been developed based on κ-carrageenan, Myristica fragrans extract (MFE) and grape peel extract (GPE). The κ-carrageenan act as a biopolymer matrix, GPE, composed of anthocyanin rich compounds act as the main pH indicator and MFE imparts color stability which helps to maintain the anthocyanin compounds present GPE in flavylium cation form, enabling swift response to pH change induced by volatile amine groups released from the spoiled food. The indicator films showed excellent UV protection and water barrier properties. The incorporation of MFE aided in enhancement of mechanical properties and hydrophobicity of indicator films enabling its storage at 25˚C and 4˚C. The film exhibited distinguishable color changes from pale red to red or violet and to blue or green, clearly indicating the distinct phases of food condition. The indicator film showed visual color changes for packaged shrimp, tuna, mushroom and milk stored at 25˚C and 4˚C. The TVB-N values, microbial load, MDA content and pH of packaged samples were in accordance with the color change of indicator films giving conclusive information on the status of food real time.
This study investigated how lentil protein isolate (LPI) modulates the gelatinization and retrogradation of lentil starch (LS) during refrigerated storage (1, 7, and 14 days). Results suggest that LPI modulates starch retrogradation through non-covalent starch–protein interactions that restrict starch chain mobility and reassociation. LPI affected LS behavior in a concentration-dependent manner. Dynamic rheological measurements revealed lower normalized storage modulus (G′) values in LS-LPI systems than in native LS, indicating reduced gel strengthening during short-term retrogradation. Pasting analysis showed a progressive increase, which may be related to water competition and heat-induced protein aggregation that influenced starch network development. LPI also reduced starch swelling and amylose leaching, with a maximum decrease of approximately 31% at 20% LPI.Textural analysis demonstrated lower hardness, gumminess, and cohesiveness in LS-LPI gels, indicating reduced formation of rigid starch networks during storage. Long-term retrogradation was similarly inhibited, with the degree of retrogradation decreasing from ∼39% (0% LPI) to ∼25% (20% LPI) after 14 days. FTIR spectra showed no evidence of new covalent bonds, suggesting that the observed effects were governed primarily by non-covalent interactions, likely involving hydrogen bonding. Consistent with this interpretation, DSC measurements revealed lower retrogradation enthalpy (ΔHr) and reduced increases in peak temperature (Tp) in LPI-containing systems. CLSM observations suggested protein accumulation within protein-rich regions located at or near swollen starch granules, potentially limiting starch chain reassociation. Collectively, these findings suggest that LPI suppresses starch retrogradation by restricting molecular reorganization and network consolidation, thereby improving the textural stability of lentil-based starch systems during storage.
