Halal edible biopolymers used in food encapsulation: a review

Background and objective: Encapsulation is extensively used in food science and technology for protection of bioactive compounds by using several materials originated from different animals and plants. However, application of some of them is limited due to their suspicious halal origin. In this regard, gelatin is of concern for industrial application since it can be obtained from pork. At this review, we tried to investigate the halal biopolymers frequently used in food preparations.Results and conclusion: Biopolymers have incredible impact in the formula as gelling, stabilizing, viscosifying, and coating agent. Other than the favorable roles of biopolymers, their origin is important by some countries to find out they are derived in accordance to halal concepts. Therefore, those derived from halal animals through the process which does not threat the halal status are accepted by Islamic countries. In such cases, alternative biopolymers such as agar, pectin, and carrageenan by similar features for the specific purpose should be used instead of gelatin derived from pork.