Current Advances of Polysaccharide-Based Nanogels and Microgels in Food and Biomedical Sciences

Abstract

Polysaccharides are natural polymers with hydrophilic, biocompatible and biodegradable characteristics and have many opportunities in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. This review focuses on the field of nano and microstructures whose internal structure is based on networked polysaccharide chains in 3D i.e., polysaccharide nanogels (NGs) and microgels (MGs). As it is observed the number of articles on NGs and MGs in peer reviewed scientific journals has been increasing over the last two decades. At the same time, the relative contribution of polysaccharides in this field is gaining place. This review focuses on the different applied methods for the fabrication of a variety of polysaccharide-based NGs and MGs and aims to highlight the recent advances on the subject and present their potentials and properties with regards to their integration in aspects of medicinal and food sciences. The presentation of the recent advances in the application of polysaccharide NGs and MGs is divided in materials with potential as emulsion stabilizers and materials with potential as carriers of bioactives. For applications in the medical sector the division is based on the fabrication processes and includes self-assembled, electrostatically complexed/ionically crosslinked and chemically crosslinked NGs and MGs. It is concluded that many advances are expected in the application of these polysaccharide-based materials and in particular as nutrient-loaded emulsion stabilizers, viscosity modifiers and co-assembled structures in combination with proteins.

Innovative Approach for Controlling Black Rot of Persimmon Fruits by Means of Nanobiotechnology from Nanochitosan and Rosmarinic Acid-Mediated Selenium Nanoparticles

“…Edible coatings (ECs) are the emerged promising tool for foodstuff preservation; they were defined as “thin layers of materials, which cover foodstuff surface and could be eaten and deemed as a part of the entire food product” [ 8 ]. The ECs were widely reviewed to extend the shelf-lives and storage of fresh cuts (fruits and vegetables) [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Many polymeric materials (e.g., chitosan, alginate, cellulose, agar, gum Arabic, etc., were employed for forming ECs to provide barriers toward moisture, microbes, O 2 and CO 2 ; thus can manage the physiological functions of crops [ 9 ].…”

“…The ECs, in their liquid forms that contain edible materials, can be amended with further bioactive compounds and nanoparticles to augment their preservative actions [ 10 ]. In addition to their parrying actions, ECs can provide many supplementary sensory enhancers, nutrients, antimicrobial agents and nutraceuticals, while being consumed on food coverage [ 11 ].…”

Application of Nanocomposites from Bees Products and Nano-Selenium in Edible Coating for Catfish Fillets Biopreservation

“…Chitosans are extraordinary agents for employment in nutrition, pharmaceutics, biomedicine, therapeutic, antimicrobial, anticancer, food preservation and drug-carrying branches [1][2][3][4]. The entire bioactivities of chitosan are influentially augmented via its transformation to "nano" forms due to the significant increment of particles' surfaces and reactivity [5,6]. The diverse chitosan bases include crustacean waste (the accustomed source), fungi biomass or insect skeletons [3,7,8].…”

Coarse-Grained Simulations of Release of Drugs Housed in Flexible Nanogels: New Insights into Kinetic Parameters

“…In the last decades, nanogels have attracted growing interest due to their potential application as drug delivery vehicles [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Among their most attractive characteristics, researchers have found the following ones: (i) their size allows them to traverse capillaries and penetrate tissues; (ii) they can be designed to respond to specific stimuli; (iii) nanogels can encapsulate high amounts of drugs and/or biologically active macromolecules and release them in a controlled manner; (iv) nanogels are easy to synthesize on an industrial scale.…”