Xerogels: Pioneering Advances in Food Technology and Preservation

Xerogels are a fascinating type of lightweight and porous material that hold great promise in the food industry due to their unique qualities. These gels developed are edible, biodegradable, and non-toxic in nature owing to the use of biopolymers. They can be used widely in fields such as targeted delivery systems, 4D printed foods, encapsulating agents among others due to their good swelling capacity and surface area which can be achieved depending on the cross-linking density of hydrogels.

- Krishna Bhuvana Harshitha and Kavana GH

In addition to the above stated applications, xerogels are well suited in setting up highly sensitive and environment friendly biosensors. They are also used as texturants, and help in the stabilization of emulsions which are important in sauces and baked products and the shelf life. However, a lot can be added to the positive qualities of xerogels: for example, the nutritional value of certain types of food can be enhanced by the fact that vitamins and probiotics can be encapsulated in the xerogel structure to be released during digestion. Its ability to create stable colloidal systems helps in the development of incredible food structures and sensations. In the following review, these real life applications of xerogels in the food industry in terms of preservation, quality and nutritional value of the food product are discussed.

Keywords: Xerogels, Food Processing, 4D Printing, Biosensors, Functional Foods

Introduction

Given the economic pressure of today's food industry, the task of satisfying the consumer demand for new products' novelties and at the same time providing the maximum shelf life of food products in optimal storage conditions is rather a challenge. To address these requirements, food scientists are uncovering additional food matrices that are derived from insects, plants, and microbes either naturally or through bioprocessing.