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Biopolymers for Food Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 632

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
Interests: polysaccharides; polymers

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Guest Editor
Laboratoire d’Automatique, de Génie des Procédés et de Génie Pharmaceutique, CNRS, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
Interests: encapsulation; biopolymers; molecular interactions; controlled release; bioactive materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biopolymers – naturally derived macromolecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, and nucleic acids – represent a cornerstone of sustainable material design with unparalleled biocompatibility and eco-functionality. These materials uniquely combine natural renewability, intrinsic biodegradability, and structural versatility to enable advanced applications across food science. Recent breakthroughs leverage biopolymers offering solutions for shelf-life extension, bioactive encapsulation, and plant-based food innovation. The issue bridges material innovation with food science, covering:

▶︎ Synthesis: Sustainable fabrication of biopolymer colloids

▶︎ Functionality: Rheology, encapsulation efficiency, barrier properties

▶︎ Applications: Nutraceutical delivery, plant-based analogs, shelf-life extension

▶︎ Sustainability: Compostable gels/emulsions and circular economy strategies

This collection addresses global demands for safer, smarter, and eco-functional food systems.

Dr. Jian Wang
Prof. Dr. Adem Gharsallaoui
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • biopolymers
  • food-grade emulsions
  • hydrogels
  • biopolymer composites
  • delivery systems
  • edible coatings
  • active packaging
  • sustainable food systems
  • nanostructured colloids
  • 3D food printing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 2975 KB  
Article
Effect of Adding Natural Inulin on the Quality of Beef Myofibrillar Protein Gels
by Xuchen Ji, Yanbin Wang, Chunqing Shi, Mengjie Zhang, Zhouya Bai, Chonghui Yue, Libo Wang, Peiyan Li, Denglin Luo and Sihai Han
Polymers 2026, 18(8), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18080966 - 16 Apr 2026
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Abstract
To investigate how natural inulin (FI) influences the quality of heat-induced beef myofibrillar protein (BMP) gels, BMP gel systems were prepared with graded FI concentrations (1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%). Texture analysis (TA), low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), rheological measurements, scanning electron [...] Read more.
To investigate how natural inulin (FI) influences the quality of heat-induced beef myofibrillar protein (BMP) gels, BMP gel systems were prepared with graded FI concentrations (1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%). Texture analysis (TA), low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR), rheological measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to systematically characterise changes in gel properties, water migration and distribution, microstructure, and protein secondary structure. The results showed that the improvement in gel quality produced by inulin was concentration-dependent. FI at addition levels of 1–2% promoted the ordered intermolecular cross-linking of beef myofibrillar proteins, thereby facilitating the formation of a homogeneous and compact three-dimensional gel network, as confirmed by SEM and CLSM observations. Notably, 2% FI was identified as the optimal addition level for the BMP gel system. Compared with the control group, this treatment produced the highest relative β-sheet content (82%) among all groups, optimised the internal water distribution of the gel by reducing the proportion of free water, enhanced the water-holding capacity of the gels (p < 0.05), and preserved the elasticity-dominated solid-state characteristics of the BMP gel system (tan δ < 1), indicating that FI improved gel strength without changing its fundamental properties. These findings provide an important theoretical basis and practical technical parameters for the development of functional beef products with both desirable texture and high dietary fibre content. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biopolymers for Food Applications)
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