Hydrocolloids as Encapsulation Matrices in Food Systems: A Critical Review of Structure, Performance, and Applications

Hydrocolloids have attracted considerable interest as encapsulating materials in food systems due to their biocompatibility, structural diversity, and ability to protect sensitive bioactive compounds during processing, storage, and digestion. This review provides a critical and comparative analysis of the role of hydrocolloids in food encapsulation, with emphasis on their sources, physicochemical characteristics, advantages, limitations, and application-specific performance. Natural, semi-synthetic, and protein-based hydrocolloids, including alginate, chitosan, gum Arabic, pectin, gelatin, and selected plant mucilages, are systematically evaluated. Particular attention is given to the suitability of different encapsulation techniques, such as spray drying, emulsification, extrusion, and ionic gelation, for each hydrocolloid. Encapsulation efficiency, stability under environmental stresses, release behavior, and compatibility with various food matrices are comparatively discussed based on recent studies. The analysis indicates that polysaccharide-based hydrocolloids generally provide higher structural stability and protection for probiotics and hydrophilic compounds, whereas protein-based systems exhibit superior emulsifying properties and encapsulation efficiency for lipophilic bioactives; however, the overall performance strongly depends on the nature of the core material, processing conditions, and the intended food application. Finally, current challenges related to industrial scalability, cost, and stability are highlighted, and future research directions focusing on multicomponent systems and application-oriented design of hydrocolloid-based encapsulation matrices are proposed to support the development of functional and fortified food products.

کلیدواژه ها:

Encapsulation ، Emulsion ، Hydrocolloids ، Probiotics ، Gums ، Nutrient preservation