Hydrogel beads for designing future foods: Structures, mechanisms, applications, and challenges

Food colloids are mounting curiosity in the food industry to meet modern demands and challenges. The food hydrocolloids market was valued at approximately USD 9928.5 million in 2021 and expected to increase to approximately USD 13,381.3 million by 2028. Colloidal delivery systems, particularly hydrogel beads, are intensely focused on sustainability, health wellbeing, and sensory perceptions.x Around 23,500 research articles on hydrogel beads have been published in the previous ten years. The successful incorporation of gel beads into the human food system requires an in-depth understanding of beads' production, properties, release, or dissociation mechanisms at different targeted sites. This review has pointed out the latest developments and achievements in hydrogel beads from micro to millimeter-scale in the food industry. Various techniques for systematically producing different kinds of gel beads were also summarized. The fundamental properties and mechanisms of polysaccharides and protein-based materials that can be used for fabricating hydrogel beads are presented with examples. Designing gel beads is a complicated and elusive process where numerous factors must be considered. Apart from gel beads' functional properties, sensory perception is also a fundamental consideration in formulating gel beads for the human food system. The articleended with the potential future prospect of hydrogel beads. Gel beads are still predominantly on a laboratory scale, with a high potential to flourish in the future food system. This will provide a comprehensive idea of the fascinating field of hydrogel beads with up-to-date information.