Designing food structure using microfluidics

Microfluidics has been studied as a rapid detection tool for food safety related applications for a long time. Recently, more and more interests have been attracted to use microfluidics as microreactors to assemble biopolymers to achieve desirable functionalities. Attributed to the accurate flow control and unique bottom-up mechanism, the properties of the assembled biopolymer structures could be well-controlled. To date, several food-grade biopolymers, including proteins and carbohydrates, have been found suitable for the microfluidic process. However, challenges remain, notably the scale-up of the process. In this chapter, the fundamental principles of microfluidics and their feasibility to process food materials and design food structures are thoroughly covered and discussed.