Using polysaccharides for the enhancement of functionality of foods: a review

Publication date: Available online 10 February 2019Source: Trends in Food Science & TechnologyAuthor(s): Xu Lu, Jinghao Chen, Zebin Guo, Yafeng Zheng, Mary C. Rea, Han Su, Xiuhua Zheng, Baodong Zheng, Song MiaoAbstractBackground: Flavor, taste and functional ingredients are important ingredients of food, but they are easily lost or react during heating and are not stable. Carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions (CCIs) and carbohydrate-protein interactions (CPIs) are involved in a variety of regulatory biological processes in nature, including cell differentiation, proliferation, adhesion, inflammation and immune responses. Polysaccharides have high molecular weights and many intramolecular hydrogen bonds, can be easily modified chemically and biochemically to enhance bioadhesive and biostability of tissues. Therefore, polysaccharides are the foundation for building complex and stable biosystems that are non-toxic with highydrophilicity and easily biodegradable.Scope and approach: In this review, we summarize the principles and applications of polysaccharide delivery systems in a variety of foods.Key findings and conclusions: This review focuses on the self-assembly of carbohydrates with complex structures and discusses the latest advances in self-assembly systems. The host-guest complexes formed by polyvalent sugar conjugates have the potential to provide, control or target delivery or release systems. They can also extend the shelf life of food and prevent oxidation and isome...
Source: Trends in Food Science and Technology - Category: Food Science Source Type: research