Physically fabricated chitin nanofibers for food applications

Abstract

Chitin nanofibers (ChNFs) are often produced through physical preparation procedures, which not only maintain the inherent characteristics of chitin but also fundamentally reduce the chemical residues, thus broadening the application range of ChNFs, particularly in the food field. This review aims to provide the latest developments in the preparation of ChNFs by physical methods and their applications in the food field. Some physical methods for preparing ChNFs, such as ultrasonication, grinding, high-pressure homogenization, ball milling, high-pressure water-jet systems, aqueous counter collisions, and microwave irradiations, will be introduced. In addition, this review also reports the applications of ChNFs in the food field, such as emulsion stabilization, lipid digestion inhibition, starch retrogradation inhibition, food gel reinforcement, antimicrobial packaging, saltiness perception enhancement, and food film reinforcement. We anticipate that this work will contribute to the elucidation of preparation techniques for ChNFs, thereby facilitating a more profound comprehension of its applications as a functional food constituent.