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Natural biopolymer‐based hydrogels for use in food and agriculture
Author(s) -
Klein Miri,
Poverenov Elena
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.10274
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , biopolymer , cosmetics , natural polymers , biocompatibility , polymer science , nanotechnology , polymer , scope (computer science) , materials science , biochemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , computer science , polymer chemistry , engineering , composite material , programming language
Hydrogels are important materials that are of high scientific interest and with numerous applications. Natural polymer‐based hydrogels are preferred to synthetic ones due to their safety, biocompatibility, and ecofriendly properties. They have been studied extensively and implemented in various fields, such as medicine, cosmetics, personal‐care products, water purification, and more. This review focuses on the applications of nature‐sourced polymer‐based hydrogels in food and agriculture. Different types of biopolymers and crosslinking agents, and various methods for hydrogel formation are described. The physicomechanical properties and applied activities of the resulting materials are also comprehensively discussed. Biodegradable synthetic polymers are outside the scope of this review. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry