College of Food Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2022 Nov;21(6):4847-4871. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.13028. Epub 2022 Oct 6.
Due to the high aspect ratio, appealing mechanical characteristics, and various adjustable functional groups on the surface proteins, food-grade protein nanofibrils have attracted great research interest in the field of food science. Fibrillation, known as a process of peptide self-assembly, is recognized as a common attribute for food-grade proteins. Converting food-grade proteins into nanofibrils is a promising strategy to broaden their functionality and applications, such as improvement of the properties of gelling and emulsifying, especially for constructing various delivery systems for bioactive compounds. Protein source and processing conditions have a great impact on the size, structure, and morphology of nanofibrils, resulting in extreme differences in functionality. With this feature, it is possible to engineer nanofibrils into four different delivery systems, including gels, microcapsules, emulsions, and complexes. Construction of nanofibril-based gels via multiple cross-linking methods can endow gels with special network structures to efficiently capture bioactive compounds and extra mechanical behavior. The adsorption behavior of nanofibrils at the interface is highly complex due to the influence of several intrinsic factors, which makes it challenging to form stabilized nanofibril-based emulsion systems. Based on electrostatic interactions, microcapsules and complexes prepared using nanofibrils and polysaccharides have combined functional properties, resulting in adjustable release behavior and higher encapsulation efficiency. The bioactive compounds delivery system based on nanofibrils is a potential solution to enhance their absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, improve their bioavailability, and deliver them to target organs. Although food-grade protein nanofibrils show unknown toxicity to humans, further research can contribute to broadening the application of nanofibrils in delivery systems.
由于高纵横比、吸引人的机械特性和表面蛋白上各种可调功能基团，食品级蛋白纳米纤维在食品科学领域引起了极大的研究兴趣。纤维化为肽自组装的过程，被认为是食品级蛋白的共同属性。将食品级蛋白转化为纳米纤维是拓宽其功能和应用的一种有前途的策略，例如改善凝胶和乳化的性质，特别是用于构建各种生物活性化合物的输送系统。蛋白来源和加工条件对纳米纤维的大小、结构和形态有很大影响，导致其功能差异极大。利用这一特性，可以将纳米纤维工程化为四种不同的输送系统，包括凝胶、微胶囊、乳液和复合物。通过多种交联方法构建纳米纤维基凝胶，可以赋予凝胶特殊的网络结构，有效地捕获生物活性化合物和额外的机械性能。由于几个内在因素的影响，纳米纤维在界面上的吸附行为非常复杂，这使得形成稳定的纳米纤维基乳液系统具有挑战性。基于静电相互作用，使用纳米纤维和多糖制备的微胶囊和复合物具有综合功能特性，导致可调释药行为和更高的包封效率。基于纳米纤维的生物活性化合物输送系统是增强其在胃肠道吸收、提高生物利用度并将其输送到靶器官的潜在解决方案。尽管食品级蛋白纳米纤维对人体表现出未知的毒性，但进一步的研究可以有助于拓宽纳米纤维在输送系统中的应用。
