Electrohydrodynamic processing of phycocolloids for food-related applications: Recent advances and future prospects

Abstract

Background: The electrohydrodynamic process is one of the most effective technologies to produce continuous ultrafine fibres or capsules by the application of electric forces to polymer or biopolymer solutions. These techniques can be used for the incorporation of active compounds within polymer or biopolymer matrices of interest in development of functional foods and/or smart food packaging structures. Amongst the available biopolymers, phycocolloids (e.g. carrageenans, agars, alginates) have attracted increased interest, derived from their proved biological activities and also from their renewable, biodegradable and food grade status which confer them interesting properties to be used in the food and food packaging area. Scope and approach: The appealing properties of phycocolloids have boosted research into exploring new strategies towards the development of new functional food products and food packaging materials using these seaweed-derived carbohydrates. In this review, the interest and general properties of phycocolloids have been summarized and, the main challenges related to the use of electrohydrodynamic processing of these marine polysaccharides have been highlighted. Key findings and conclusions: The commercial interest in phycocolloids is mainly derived from their gelling and stabilizing properties, which at the same time is the main drawback for their processing using electrospinning/electrospraying technologies. To overcome this issue, different strategies are being explored to produce electrospun phycocolloid-based materials able to encapsulate active substances of interest in food-related applications. Improving their processability at the micro- and nanoscale will undoubtedly have a positive impact on its use in the food and other industries in the coming years.