Utilization of high pressure processing (HPP) for the production of starch-based hydrogels for innovative applications
Abstract
Nowadays, the development of plant-based systems to replace or reduce the utilization of synthetic
materials has been receiving significant attention, in view to fulfil consumers demand natural
products in all the industrial areas.
Hydrogels represent a group of polymeric materials, composed of three-dimensional crosslinked
polymeric networks, capable to absorb and retain a significant amount of water. They have been listed
as “smart structures” whose tailor-made design confers them different functional attributes allowing
their use in biomedical, cosmeceutical, pharmaceutical and food applications. Hydrogels can be
produced either from natural or synthetic sources. However, those produced from natural sources
have gained a great interest in research for the development of novel biomaterials for which a wide
range of applications could be envisaged due to their safety, biocompatibility, and biodegradability.
In the last decade, among the natural sources to produce hydrogels, starches have been receiving
increasing attention as one of the most promising natural biopolymers. Hydrogels are traditionally
produced by chemical or physical methods. However, long processing time, high energy
consumption, and safety issues related to the synthesis of these products have been identified as
important limitations of these methods. .. [edited by the Author]