Emerging Natural Hydrocolloids

24 Health Aspects of Novel Hydrocolloids

Jafar M. Milani and Abdolkhalegh Golkar

Department of Food Science & Technology, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University (SANRU), Sari, Iran

24.1 Introduction

The term hydrocolloids includes all the polysaccharides and proteins that are widely used in industrial sectors. Hydrocolloids are important parts of our daily diet in food systems such as yogurt, mayonnaise and salad dressing, ice cream, dessert, bakery products, and so on [1,2]. The increasing occurrence of different diseases in the world has given rise to a demand for healthy foods containing natural compounds such as hydrocolloids (e.g., dietary fiber) and phytochemical compounds (e.g., antioxidants, and so on) with a high level of compounds with health benefits [3]. For many years, hydrocolloids have been used in food systems as functional ingredients for the control of microstructure, texture, flavor, and shelf life. In fact, these are a diverse group of high‐molecular‐weight polymers and may be named thickeners, gelling agents, stabilizers, bulking agents, and emulsifiers on the basis of their functionality [ 1,4]. Beside functional attributes, hydrocolloids are presently being reported to have many increasing applications in healthy foods.

The alteration of people's lifestyle has been caused by a growing awareness of the relationship between diet and health and new processing technologies. These changes have led to the production of novelty ...