Food Gel-Based Systems for Efficient Delivery of Bioactive Ingredients: Design to Application

Dear Colleagues,

Food gels have become highly versatile platforms for encapsulating, protecting, and controlling the release of bioactive ingredients in functional foods. Their tunable structures, responsiveness to environmental conditions, and compatibility with diverse biopolymers make them promising candidates for improving the stability and bioavailability of sensitive compounds such as vitamins, polyphenols, probiotics, and omega-3 fatty acids.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the design, characterization, and application of food gel-based delivery systems. We welcome original research and comprehensive reviews that address fundamental structuring strategies, microstructure–function relationships, and release mechanisms, as well as studies demonstrating the performance of gel systems in real food matrices. Contributions that explore technological, sensory, safety, and scale-up considerations are also encouraged.

Topics of interest include:

• Innovative design and fabrication of food gels (e.g., emulsion gels, double-network gels, hybrid and particulate gels);
• Encapsulation, protection, and controlled release of bioactive ingredients;
• In vitro and in vivo evaluation of bioavailability and bioefficacy;
• Effects of gel systems on sensory attributes, quality, and shelf life;
• Applications in dairy, meat, beverage, bakery, and other food sectors;
• Industrial implementation, safety assessment, and regulatory aspects.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Yongshuai Ma
Prof. Dr. Linyan Zhou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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