Research Projects

The current focus in food-nanotechnology is to develop nanostructures based polymers as delivery systems for supplements, nutrition, packaging and preservation. Mostly, it is accomplished using polymeric matrices as a supporting medium with bioactive substances that may increase the shelf life of the food products where they offer improved food palatability, taste, textures and other nutritional values. For instance, xanthan gum (polysaccharide) is used to improve the texture in chocolate, salad dressings and several bakery items. Over the past few years, protein based polymers have gained significant interest and it has been shown to have several applications to the food industries. These proteins polymers can form fibril or nanoparticle like structures by fine-tuning its environmental conditions such as pH, types of ions, ionic strength, concentration and temperature. The kinetics of resulting fibril or nanoparticle like structures are important parameters in impacting food stability. The formed composite polymers (i.e, nanoparticles or fibrils or aggregates + bioactive substances) have novel physicochemical properties enabling their applications as protein or polymer based gelling, thickening, foaming or emulsifying materials which enhances the shelf life of the food products. Therefore, such protein/polymer based matrices are promising candidates as an edible coating materials, however the main limitations are their lack of mechanical strength and poor water resistance due to presence of hydrophilic functional groups. In addition, consumers favor foods that are minimally processed so that the functional properties and nutritional values are kept unharmed; hence there is a high demand for natural based edible coatings. In this proposal, selected natural polymers are blended with the protein molecules to improve the mechanical and water resistance behavior that can be utilized as a potential candidate to enhance the food shelf life of the chosen food products.

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