Emerging Natural Hydrocolloids

22 Novel Hydrocolloids for Future Progress in Nanotechnology

Sara Naji‐Tabasi

Department of Food Nanotechnology, Research Institute of Food Science and Technology (RIFST) PO Box, 91895‐157.356, Mashhad, Iran

22.1 Introduction

The food industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the world [1]. The major challenge in this industry is the preservation of the activity and bioavailability of bioactive compounds during food processing, storage, passage through the gastrointestinal tract, and efficient absorption through cells for the development of functional food [2–4]. Nanotechnology is one of the world's fastest‐growing industries, which controls material dimensions on the scale of approximately 1–100 nm [3,5]. Nanosystems can provide a polymeric barrier for core materials against the destructive conditions in the food industry and gastrointestinal tract, improving the stability and direct uptake [6]. Food‐grade biopolymers such as proteins or polysaccharides can be used to produce nanometer‐sized particles.

Hydrocolloids are a heterogeneous group of long‐chain polymers (polysaccharides or proteins) and are used in technical and regulated applications to thicken and/or stabilize formulations [7]. Polysaccharide‐based hydrocolloids are composed of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bonds, which are suitable carriers for the targeted and controlled release of drugs or nutraceuticals along the human gastrointestinal tract, due to their structural versatility and ...