Cellulose nanofiber-stabilized Pickering emulsions for active food packaging: A review

IF 17.4 1区农林科学 Q1 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Trends in Food Science & Technology Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-05 DOI:10.1016/j.tifs.2026.105548

Huaqiang Cao , Qi Li , Shilin Liu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Active packaging is an advanced technological approach that not only provides physical protection but also actively preserves food quality and extends shelf life. Given the sustainability challenges associated with petroleum-based plastics, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have emerged as a promising bio-based solid particle stabilizer for surfactant-free Pickering emulsions (PEs). Distinguished from other food-grade biomacromolecules, CNFs offer distinct advantages such as renewability, tunable surface chemistry, and high aspect ratio. These characteristics enable CNFs to effectively stabilize PEs, thereby facilitating the development of multifunctional active packaging systems with improved barrier resistance, mechanical strength, and controlled release functionality.

Scope and approach

This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the development and application of CNF-stabilized PEs for food packaging, with a focus on oil–water interfacial engineering. It covers emerging CNFs sources (like coffee grounds and straws), preparation methods, and the critical relationships between CNFs structure, emulsion performance, and packaging functionality, offering a comprehensive perspective on their role in advanced food packaging systems.

Key findings and conclusions

CNFs derived from various natural materials provide unique structural attributes to emulsions. Both CNFs and CNF-based PEs exhibit minimal cytotoxicity, supporting their suitability for edible and biodegradable packaging. The functional performance of the resulting packaging materials, including barrier, mechanical, and active-release properties, can be precisely tailored through Pickering interfacial engineering. Despite promising progress, challenges remain in scaling up production, ensuring cost-effectiveness, and validating efficacy in real-food applications. Future research should emphasize green processing routes and promote commercial adoption to meet evolving industry demands.

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活性食品包装用纤维素纳米纤维稳定皮克林乳剂的研究进展

活性包装是一种先进的技术方法，不仅提供物理保护，而且还积极地保持食品质量和延长保质期。考虑到与石油基塑料相关的可持续性挑战，纤维素纳米纤维（CNFs）已成为一种有前途的生物基固体颗粒稳定剂，用于无表面活性剂的皮克林乳液（PEs）。与其他食品级生物大分子不同，CNFs具有可再生、表面化学可调和高纵横比等明显优势。这些特性使cnf能够有效地稳定pe，从而促进多功能活性包装系统的开发，具有更好的阻隔性，机械强度和控制释放功能。本文系统地综述了近年来cnf稳定聚乙二醇用于食品包装的开发和应用进展，重点介绍了油水界面工程。它涵盖了新兴的CNFs来源（如咖啡渣和吸管），制备方法，以及CNFs结构，乳化性能和包装功能之间的关键关系，提供了他们在先进食品包装系统中的作用的全面视角。主要发现和结论：从各种天然材料中提取的scnf为乳剂提供了独特的结构属性。cnf和基于cnf的pe都表现出最小的细胞毒性，支持它们适用于可食用和可生物降解的包装。由此产生的包装材料的功能性能，包括屏障、机械和活性释放性能，可以通过皮克林界面工程精确定制。尽管取得了可喜的进展，但在扩大生产、确保成本效益和验证实际食品应用中的功效方面仍然存在挑战。未来的研究应强调绿色加工路线，并促进商业化应用，以满足不断变化的行业需求。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Trends in Food Science & Technology 工程技术-食品科技

CiteScore

32.50

自引率

2.60%

发文量

322

审稿时长

37 days

期刊介绍： Trends in Food Science & Technology is a prestigious international journal that specializes in peer-reviewed articles covering the latest advancements in technology, food science, and human nutrition. It serves as a bridge between specialized primary journals and general trade magazines, providing readable and scientifically rigorous reviews and commentaries on current research developments and their potential applications in the food industry. Unlike traditional journals, Trends in Food Science & Technology does not publish original research papers. Instead, it focuses on critical and comprehensive reviews to offer valuable insights for professionals in the field. By bringing together cutting-edge research and industry applications, this journal plays a vital role in disseminating knowledge and facilitating advancements in the food science and technology sector.