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Micro and Nanomaterials in Sustainable Food Encapsulation

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2026) | Viewed by 8211

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hongdong Song

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Guest Editor

School of Health Sciences and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Interests: micro and nanomaterials; food protein; nanocarrier; peptide self-assembly; encapsulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yuting Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: natural products; chronic diseases; functional properties of biomolecules

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, micro- and nano-encapsulation technologies have received considerable interest in the field of food. Encapsulation can be defined as the process of entrapping one substance within another substance, thereby producing particles with diameters of nm to mm. This technology can protect sensitive bioactive food ingredients from unfavorable environmental conditions, enhance solubilization, improve taste and odor masking, and enhance the bioavailability of poorly absorbable functional ingredients.

In addition, this technology can improve the retention time of nutrients in food and allow their controlled release at specific times, during food consumption or in the intestinal gut. Due to the growth of the world population and the threat of climate change, it is now vital to develop healthy and sustainable food encapsulation strategies. Natural food macromolecules, including proteins, lipids, starches, polysaccharides and cellulose, are eco-friendly materials that could be utilized in sustainable food encapsulation. In this Special Issue, we wish to collect high-quality papers that focus on the application of food materials such as polysaccharides, starches, proteins and lipids in the encapsulation of food components or the preparation of food packaging materials.

Dr. Hongdong Song
Dr. Yuting Fan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

micro and nanomaterials
self-assembly
nano-systems
nanogels
nanoparticles
encapsulation and targeted delivery
packaging materials
food application

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1682 KB

Open AccessArticle

Development and Characterization of Quinoa Peptide Nanoparticles as Carriers for Bioactive Food Ingredient Encapsulation

by Zulong Jin, Longhuan Duan, Xinyue Wang and Hongdong Song

Foods 2026, 15(9), 1589; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15091589 - 4 May 2026

Viewed by 275

Abstract

Bioactive food ingredients offer significant health benefits. However, their poor water solubility and storage stability often limit their efficacy and practical application. In this study, quinoa peptide nanoparticles (QPNPs) were fabricated by controlled enzymatic hydrolysis, with particle sizes below 100 nm. Their structural stability was primarily maintained through hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) was selected as a model compound to evaluate the encapsulation performance of QPNPs. The results demonstrated that the encapsulation of CAPE was mainly driven by hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding. The CAPE-loaded QPNPs (CAPE-QPNPs) exhibited a uniform particle size (194.1 ± 1.2 nm), high encapsulation efficiency (77.2%), and loading capacity (3.9%), significantly improving the water solubility and storage stability of CAPE. Furthermore, the cumulative release of CAPE in simulated gastrointestinal fluid was only 34% after 4 h, indicating strong resistance to digestion, which may be attributed to the dense shell structure of the nanoparticles. Overall, these findings suggest that QPNPs are a promising delivery system for encapsulating bioactive food ingredients and enhancing their physicochemical stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro and Nanomaterials in Sustainable Food Encapsulation)

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18 pages, 3226 KB

Open AccessArticle

Preparation and Characterization of Dual-Stabilized Vanillin Complexes Based on Soy Protein Isolate Through pH-Shifting Strategy

by Xudong Wang, Kaiwen Wu, Yating Shen, Zhenglin Wu, Weijian Yuan, Weina Wu and Fengping Yi

Foods 2026, 15(7), 1240; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15071240 - 5 Apr 2026

Viewed by 802

Abstract

Vanillin is widely used in foods, but its poor water dispersibility and limited stability reduce its flavor performance during processing and storage. In this study, soy protein isolate (SPI) was used as a food-grade carrier to prepare soy protein isolate–vanillin (SPIV) complexes via a pH-shifting strategy. SPI and vanillin were first adjusted to pH 9.0, where SPI unfolded and vanillin was deprotonated and dispersed in the solution and then readjusted to pH 7.0 to form SPIV complexes. Vanillin was incorporated into SPI at different loading levels of 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/mL, corresponding to 9–50 wt.% relative to SPI. The binding efficiency of vanillin decreased from 91.03 wt.% to 69.43 wt.% with increasing vanillin loading. Moderate loading preserved the globular morphology of SPI, whereas excessive loading (≥33.33 wt.%) induced vanillin nanocrystal formation and aggregation. Spectroscopic analyses and molecular docking indicated that vanillin interacted with soy proteins through a combination of covalent and noncovalent interactions. Compared with free vanillin, SPIV showed improved color, light, and thermal stability. Among the tested samples, SPIV2 exhibited the most favorable interfacial behavior and application performance, producing more stable emulsions and higher flavor scores in simplified beverage and soy milk models. These findings establish a loading-dependent structure–function relationship in SPIV complexes and provide practical guidance for the design of soy protein-based carriers for flavor stabilization and delivery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro and Nanomaterials in Sustainable Food Encapsulation)

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14 pages, 1458 KB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing Chitosan Films for Egg Packaging Using Cellulose Nanocrystals and Sodium Montmorillonite Nanoparticles

by Dariush Khademi Shurmasti, Clara Mariana Gonçalves Lima and Charles Odilichukwu R. Okpala

Foods 2026, 15(6), 987; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15060987 - 11 Mar 2026

Viewed by 392

Abstract

Bio-based polymers are believed to often demonstrate insufficient barrier capacity and mechanical strength, especially in egg packaging processes. This current work attempted to improve the characteristics of chitosan (CS) films for egg packaging by incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and sodium montmorillonite (MMT) nanoparticles. Such nanofillers added to the polymer matrix should reduce water vapor permeability and improve the mechanical properties of bio-nanocomposite films. Herein, coatings containing 5 wt% CNC or MMT incorporated into chitosan were applied to enhance the storability of fresh eggs over 5 weeks at ambient conditions. SEM images revealed that coatings were able to seal the eggshell pores, thereby minimizing mass transfer. After 5 weeks of storage, the Haugh unit (HU) of eggs treated with CS–CNC (67.1) and CS–MMT (64.8) appeared reasonably higher than that of control (35.2) and pure chitosan (52.1). The yolk index of eggs coated with CS–CNC (0.355) and CS–MMT (0.343) surpassed both control (0.263) and CS-coated eggs (0.308). However, pH levels in the albumen of eggs coated with CNC or MMT nanocomposite were significantly lower than others during storage. Potentially, chitosan-based nanocomposite coatings could be effective in preserving the internal quality of eggs, providing a somewhat efficient barrier against CO₂ loss with relative pH maintenance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro and Nanomaterials in Sustainable Food Encapsulation)

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14 pages, 4437 KB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Smart Packaging of Modified Silica/Anthocyanin/Nanocellulose for Preservation and Monitoring

by Yu Ren, Jing Guo, Zehao Zhong, Jinjin Chen, Peng Jin, Yonghua Zheng and Zhengguo Wu

Foods 2025, 14(11), 1888; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111888 - 26 May 2025

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3969

Abstract

Smart packaging not only has a preservation effect on food, but can also monitor the change of food quality in real time to ensure food safety. In this study, hollow mesoporous silica loaded with cinnamaldehyde was used as the antimicrobial agent, anthocyanin as the color developer, and nanocellulose as the film matrix, to obtain smart packaging with excellent antimicrobial activity and pH-responsive color development (CBF). Modified silica has a good regulatory characteristic on the release of cinnamaldehyde, and the cumulative release rate of cinnamaldehyde in the NH₂-HMSN@CA preservative reaches 72% after 7 days. Additionally, the film has good antibacterial properties, with inhibition rates of 82% and 92% against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. In addition, the film has good mechanical properties and water vapor permeability. In terms of pH response, the film shows excellent color rendering and good stability. Therefore, the CBF films can be applied to preservation and real-time monitoring of fruits and vegetables, meat, and other food products, which has great potential for intelligent food packaging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro and Nanomaterials in Sustainable Food Encapsulation)

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Review

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19 pages, 1076 KB

Open AccessReview

Multifunctional Metal–Organic Frameworks for Enhancing Food Safety and Quality: A Comprehensive Review

by Weina Jiang, Xue Zhou, Xuezhi Yuan, Liang Zhang, Xue Xiao, Jiangyu Zhu and Weiwei Cheng

Foods 2025, 14(23), 4111; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234111 - 30 Nov 2025

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2128

Abstract

Food safety and quality are paramount global concerns, with the complexities of the modern supply chain demanding advanced technologies for monitoring, preservation, and decontamination. Conventional methods often fall short due to limitations in speed, sensitivity, cost, and functionality. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of crystalline porous materials, have emerged as a highly universal platform to address these challenges, owing to their unprecedented structural tunability, ultrahigh surface areas, and tailorable chemical functionalities. This comprehensive review details the state-of-the-art applications of multifunctional MOFs across the entire spectrum of food safety and quality enhancement. First, the review details the application of MOFs in advanced food analysis, covering their transformative roles as sorbents in sample preparation (e.g., solid-phase extraction and microextraction), as novel stationary phases in chromatography, and as the core components of highly sensitive sensing platforms, including luminescent, colorimetric, electrochemical, and SERS-based sensors for contaminant detection. Subsequently, the role of MOFs in food preservation and packaging is explored, highlighting their use in active packaging systems for ethylene scavenging and controlled antimicrobial release, in intelligent packaging for visual spoilage indication, and as functional fillers for enhancing the barrier properties of packaging materials. Furthermore, the review examines the direct application of MOFs in food processing for the selective adsorptive removal of contaminants from complex food matrices (such as oils and beverages) and as robust, recyclable heterogeneous catalysts. Finally, a critical discussion is presented on the significant challenges that impede widespread adoption. These include concerns regarding biocompatibility and toxicology, issues of long-term stability in complex food matrices, and the hurdles of achieving cost-effective, scalable synthesis. This review not only summarizes recent progress but also provides a forward-looking perspective on the interdisciplinary efforts required to translate these promising nanomaterials from laboratory research into practical, real-world solutions for a safer and higher-quality global food supply. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Micro and Nanomaterials in Sustainable Food Encapsulation)

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