Proteins in Food Systems

Proteins and other biopolymers like hydrocolloids play a central role in determining how emulsions and nanoemulsions form, hold together, and behave during food processing and digestion. Researchers in this area study how droplet size, interfacial composition, and molecular interactions govern stability against coalescence and lipid oxidation — both of which affect a food's shelf life, safety, and nutritional quality. A growing direction involves engineering nanoscale delivery systems, including biopolymer gels and nanoparticle-stabilized emulsions, to protect and release bioactive compounds such as vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and polyphenols at targeted sites in the gut. Open questions remain around how these architectures behave under the dynamic, often harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract and how to translate lab-scale formulations into scalable, clean-label food products.

Works

60,366

Total citations

1,648,333

Keywords

NanoemulsionsProteinsEmulsionsDigestionStabilizationNanoparticles