Review of techniques to manufacture micro-hydrogel particles for the food industry and their applications

Microgels are 'soft' microscopic cross-linked polymeric particles that are being increasingly exploited in a variety of industries for rheology control, encapsulation and targeted delivery. They are valued because of the ability to tune their functionality to address specific applications in oil recovery, coatings, drug delivery, cosmetics, personal care and foods. Food microgels are typically biopolymer hydrogels in the form of microspheres, nanospheres (also called nanogels), spheroids and fibres. The utilisation of engineered microgels in foods has so far been limited, despite their great potential to address several needs in the food industry, including: satiety control, encapsulation of phytonutrients and prebiotics, texture control for healthier food formulations (e.g. reduced fat products), and targeting delivery to specific areas in the digestive tract. We review the scientific and patent literature on the utilisation and manufacturing methods for producing microgels with an emphasis on micro-hydrogels for food applications.