Food and Bioproducts Processing最新文献

{"title":"Preparation and characterization of quercetin-loaded antibacterial Pickering emulsion stabilized by soy protein isolate hydrolysate-Schisandra Chinensis polysaccharide","authors":"Jingwen Bai,&nbsp;Bin Yu,&nbsp;Chi Wei,&nbsp;Haodong Xu,&nbsp;Huifang Cao,&nbsp;Yu Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to prepare soybean protein isolate hydrolysate-<em>Schisandra chinensis</em> polysaccharide complex (SPH-SCP) to obtain a series of Pickering emulsions for the delivery of quercetin (QUE). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and dynamic interfacial tension analysis confirmed that SCP and SPH form complexes through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and electrostatic interactions, leading to alterations in the structure of SPH and a reduction in interfacial tension. Compared with emulsion stabilized by SPH, the QUE-loaded Pickering emulsion stabilized by SPH-SCP (SPH-SCP/QUE) exhibited smaller particles (517.13 ± 1.62 nm), higher absolute values of zeta potential (−41.82 ± 1.13 mV), and improved apparent viscosities, modulus, encapsulation efficiency (91.65 ± 0.25 %), loading ability (89.93 ± 0.15 %) and stability. These properties collectively reduced the release of free fatty acids (5.09 ± 0.14 %) and QUE (17.85 ± 3.13 %), thereby enhancing the bioaccessibility of QUE. In addition, the prepared SPH-0.1 %SCP/QUE emulsion exhibited strong antibacterial activity against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>. Intake of sugar and protein production assays revealed that SPH-0.1 %SCP/QUE Pickering emulsion inhibited the carbohydrate metabolism of <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> by binding pyruvate kinase. Ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations assays confirmed that there were strong binding affinity and interaction between QUE and pyruvate kinase. In conclusion, the Pickering emulsions fabricated in this study displayed robust QUE encapsulation capability and potent antibacterial activity. These findings demonstrate the considerable potential of emulsions for applications such as the encapsulation of bioactive compounds, intestinal health, and food preservation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 200-219"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Xanthan gum production from sugarcane bagasse and its potential for biodegradable food packaging films","authors":"Maria Rita Meyer Ferraz da Costa ,&nbsp;Enio Nazaré de Oliveira Junior ,&nbsp;Marali Vilela Dias ,&nbsp;Lisbeth Garbrecht Thygesen ,&nbsp;Gustavo Henrique Denzin Tonoli ,&nbsp;Anand Ramesh Sanadi ,&nbsp;Mario Guimarães Junior","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Growing environmental concerns over plastic pollution have intensified the search for sustainable alternatives in food packaging. However, the high cost of biopolymers remains a barrier to large-scale adoption. This study addresses this gap by investigating the use of sugarcane bagasse, an abundant agro-industrial residue in Minas Gerais (Brazil), as a low-cost substrate for xanthan gum (XG) production. The objective was to evaluate the physicochemical properties of lab-produced XG and compare them to commercial XG, assessing their suitability for incorporation into biodegradable packaging films. In this sense, the developed gum was characterized for apparent and intrinsic viscosities, molecular weight, chemical/functional groups (FTIR), thermal properties (TGA and DSC), and elemental analysis (C, H, O, N and S). Fermentation of sugarcane bagasse extract (6 % w/v) with <em>Xanthomonas campestris</em> CCT 5268 at 28 °C for 120 h yielded 2.07 g/L of gum. The biopolymer exhibited pseudoplastic behavior, with an apparent viscosity of 135 mPa·s at 25° C and 25 s⁻¹ . Thermal analysis revealed degradation temperatures of 290º C (lab-produced) and 300º C (commercial), indicating comparable stability. The molecular weight of the lab-produced gum was 1238 kDa, surpassing the commercial sample (1018 kDa). FTIR and elemental analyses confirmed structural similarity between both samples, with minor differences attributed to the fermentation substrate. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of valorizing agro-industrial waste for the production of functional biopolymers, supporting the development of cost-effective and sustainable packaging materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 191-199"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-objective optimization of solid-liquid stirred tank with fractal impeller and baffle for food processing","authors":"Deyin Gu,&nbsp;Tao Peng,&nbsp;Changshu Li,&nbsp;Li Wen,&nbsp;Yinghua Song,&nbsp;Haifeng Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work applied fractal theory to the structure design of the impeller and baffle in the solid-liquid stirred reactors, proposing the coupled use of the fractal-structure impeller and fractal-structure baffle to improve the suspension quality of solid particles. Meanwhile, an optimization framework consisting of one-hot encoding, BP neural network, NSGA-II, and TOPSIS decision making was constructed to achieve an optimal balance among the solid suspension degree, local solid holdup distribution, and power consumption. The findings showed that the optimal case increased the solid suspension degree by 1.41 %, decreased the power consumption by 10.37 %, increased local solid holdup <em>C</em>_h1 (<em>r</em>/<em>R</em> = 0.8, <em>z</em>/<em>H</em> = 0.9) by 19.50 %, and decreased local solid holdup <em>C</em>_h5 (<em>r</em>/<em>R</em> = 0.8, <em>z</em>/<em>H</em> = 0.1) by 2.32 % compared to the base case. This indicated that the optimal case could effectively reduce the stirring power consumption, decrease the axial concentration gradient of solid particles, and enhance the solid suspension degree. In addition, the numerical simulation results further confirmed that the optimal case could increase the fluid circulation velocity, reduce the low-velocity stagnant zone, enhance the turbulent kinetic energy, mitigate the deposition of solid particles, and improve the mixing quality of solid-liquid two-phase compared with the base case. This study provides a valuable structural optimization approach for enhancing the performance of solid-liquid stirred reactors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 170-190"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145973487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Continuous fibers with meat-like fibrous morphology based on ionically cross-linked SA/CG/SPI: A novel delivery material for efficient encapsulation and release of oral Lactobacillus plantarum","authors":"Xinbin Ji ,&nbsp;Zheng Li ,&nbsp;Yulan Wang,&nbsp;Lei Han,&nbsp;Fucheng Guan,&nbsp;Jing Guo,&nbsp;Xin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To mitigate probiotic inactivation and low colonization during oral delivery, continuous fibers with meat-like fibrous morphology were fabricated from a sodium alginate/karaya gum/soy protein isolate (SA/CG/SPI) matrix to gently encapsulate Lactobacillus plantarum and enable controlled release. Network density was tuned by wet spinning followed by Ca²⁺-mediated crosslinking. The effects of two calcium sources—calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and calcium gluconate—on microstructure, mechanical/thermal stability, and encapsulation-release behavior were systematically evaluated. The results indicate that CaCl₂, which dissociates rapidly, forms a denser crosslinking gradient with smaller pore sizes, effectively balancing physical barrier properties and thermal protection. This leads to a stable, sustained release in a simulated in vitro digestive environment (PBS). By contrast, the slower dissociation of calcium gluconate generated a looser network with inferior overall performance. These differences were corroborated by morphological/spectroscopic analyses and mechanical testing. After comprehensive optimization, the best comprehensive performance was achieved under 2 % CaCl₂ conditions: the tensile strength was approximately 139 kPa, the elongation at break was approximately 59.3 %, the encapsulation rate was up to approximately 85.4 %, and the cumulative release amount was approximately 7.99 log (CFU·g⁻¹) in PBS within 8 h, with a stable release trend after about 5 h. This strategy offers a scalable materials-process framework for probiotic functional foods and oral delivery systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 233-241"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146034518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing anthocyanin-loaded aerogels from purple sweet potatoes using supercritical carbon dioxide drying","authors":"Gabriel Laquete De Barros ,&nbsp;Arda Tuhanioglu ,&nbsp;Sumanjot Kaur ,&nbsp;Márcia Vizzotto ,&nbsp;Cesar Valmor Rombaldi ,&nbsp;Leonardo Nora ,&nbsp;Ali Ubeyitogullari","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study developed bioactive-rich aerogels from purple sweet potato powder (PSPP) and corn starch (CS) via supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) drying. The aerogels were prepared at varying PSPP concentrations (0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 %, and 100 %) with a complementary mixture of CS. Additionally, the purple sweet potato residue (PSPR) obtained after SC-CO₂ extraction (30 MPa, 35 °C, and 20 % cosolvent concentration) was evaluated for its aerogel-forming capacity. Once aerogels were developed, anthocyanins were loaded in all samples (PSPP and PSPR), then compared in terms of total phenolic content (TPC), anthocyanin content (ANT), and antioxidant activities (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and ORAC). The 50 % PSPP and 50 % CS mixture loaded with anthocyanin extract (PSPP50-CS50-ANT) aerogel showed the highest ANT (1403 ± 10 mg C3G/100 g) and TPC (2314 ± 12 mg GAE/100 g). The developed aerogels showed a surface area of 129.4 m²/g. These findings reveal complementary functional behaviors across formulations and highlight the potential of purple sweet potato-based aerogels as eco-friendly carriers for natural colorants and nutraceutical ingredients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 501-515"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advancements, challenges, and opportunities of active bio-composite films for food packaging and preservation: A comprehensive review","authors":"Taame Berhanu Teklemedhin,&nbsp;Yanzhu Guo,&nbsp;Haiming Li","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.02.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.02.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food packaging widely uses conventional plastics due to their outstanding mechanical performance, water resistance, and barrier properties. Approximately 300 million metric tons of petroleum-based plastics are produced annually, with more than 60 % of the total plastic used in the food packaging sector. However, the toxicity and non-biodegradability of conventional plastics lead to serious environmental and health problems that require solutions. Therefore, researchers are developing sustainable alternatives in the form of active bio-composite films that are synthesized from renewable and biodegradable resources. This review article discusses the latest developments in active bio-composite films made from different natural materials like polysaccharides, proteins, and biodegradable synthetic polymers, which include active ingredients (like plant extracts and metal nanoparticles) for food packaging and preservation. In addition, smart and intelligent bio-composite films for food packaging applications are highlighted; the limitations of active bio-composite films are discussed, and suggestions for future research and innovation are provided. The incorporation of nanomaterials such as nanocellulose and metallic nanoparticles can improve the synergistic mechanical and barrier properties of bio-composite films. In addition, the addition of active agents in the film-forming mixture can also improve the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the films. Thus, active bio-composite films represent an alternative for packaging food that shows promise in sustainability. Given that these films are biodegradable and fit into the environment, biodiversity, human health, and the circular economy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 537-559"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147397077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From herbs to high-performance adsorbents: Chemical activation with orthophosphoric acid as a method for obtaining tailored activated biocarbons for simultaneous removal of ionic polymers from two-component systems","authors":"Marlena Groszek ,&nbsp;Małgorzata Wiśniewska ,&nbsp;Dariusz Sternik ,&nbsp;Piotr Nowicki","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Herbal residues, specifically mint and lemon balm stems, were successfully converted into carbonaceous adsorbents via an eco-friendly method involving chemical activation with H₃PO₄. This low-temperature and straightforward transformation of waste biomass yielded biocarbons that were subjected to detailed physicochemical analysis, including evaluation of their pore structure, surface chemistry, electrokinetic properties, and thermal stability. The main aim of this study was to investigate the adsorption performance of these materials toward ionic polymers with different chemical characteristics – the anionic poly(acrylic acid) and the cationic polyethyleneimine – as well as to assess their effectiveness in the simultaneous removal of structurally diverse organic pollutants from aqueous solutions.</div><div>The resulting activated biocarbons were characterised by a moderately developed surface area (950–1146 m²/g), a strongly mesoporous structure (with an average pore diameter of 4.63–5.12 nm), and surface functionalities enriched with both acidic and basic groups, with a total content ranging from 0.794 to 0.987 mmol/g. This unique combination of textural and chemical properties makes them highly effective for capturing ionic polymer contaminants from aqueous systems. The maximum adsorption capacities reached 430.3 mg/g for poly(acrylic acid) and 495.9 mg/g for polyethyleneimine, which is the highest amount of these compounds adsorbed on carbonaceous materials reported in the literature so far.</div><div>It was further observed that the presence of one polymer reduced the adsorption efficiency of the other. Regeneration experiments indicated that polyethyleneimine could be removed with water only to a limited extent (17.4–20.5 %), while NaOH proved to be the most suitable desorbing agent for poly(acrylic acid) (64.5–71.8 %). Overall, the study demonstrates that activated biocarbons derived from herbal waste, with carefully engineered physicochemical properties, provide an effective and reusable solution for eliminating various ionic polymer contaminants from wastewater.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 302-320"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New insights into the effects of sugars and cultivars on the mass transfer, quality, and health properties of osmotically dehydrated peach","authors":"Lara Salvañal ,&nbsp;Julieta Gabilondo ,&nbsp;Graciela Beatriz Corbino ,&nbsp;Claudio O. Budde ,&nbsp;María Valeria Lara","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The effects of three osmotic agents (glucose, sorbitol and sucrose) and four cultivars of peach were analysed in osmotically dehydrated fruit slices followed by convective air drying (OD+D). A comprehensive analysis of mass transfer parameters, and organoleptic, nutritional and nutraceutical properties was conducted, which included, for the first time, mineral composition and antimicrobial and enzymatic inhibitory activities in peach OD+D slices. Osmotic pretreatment improved the inhibition of protease, α-amylase and α-amyloglucosidase activities and the contents of tannins, flavonoids, phenolics and calcium in the OD+D treatment compared with those in the fresh fruit. Thus, OD+D adds value to a natural product, rendering peach slices that can be used in industry or consumed as snacks, with a sugar content equivalent to or lower than that of other fruits. Moreover, higher antimicrobial capacity and metabolite and antioxidant capacity retention were observed in OD+D than in exclusively hot-air-dried fruits. Clustering analysis of the OD+D slices displayed that the samples were grouped on the basis of the cultivar but not by the osmotic agents used for pretreatment, which is in line with the results of the statistical analysis, which revealed that the color; antioxidant capacity; ascorbic acid, carotenoid, phenolic, flavonoid, and protein contents; inhibition of α-amylase and protease activity; and bacterial growth of the OD+D samples were independent of the osmotic agents used. The results obtained demonstrate that the choice of cultivar is a key determinant of the properties of the resulting dehydrated peach and reveal new benefits of osmotic pretreatment prior to convective-drying.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 333-345"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Valorization of Amazonian biodiversity: Comparative analysis of conventional and ultrasonic techniques for preservation of bioactive compounds in nectar made from nance (Byrsonima crassifolia) fruit","authors":"Francisca das Chagas do Amaral Souza ,&nbsp;Leonardo Saders Moura ,&nbsp;Jaime Paiva Lopes Aguiar ,&nbsp;Midori Nakamura Marques","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the impact of the use of ultrasound on the processing of the nectar made from nance (<em>B. crassifolia</em>) fruit, which is rich in bioactive compounds, and compared pasteurization techniques (70, 80 and 90 °C) with emerging technologies assisted by ultrasound (40, 50 and 60 °C). The objective was to evaluate the preservation of quality, the inactivation of enzymes (polyphenoloxidase - PPO and peroxidase - POD) and the bioaccessibility of its compounds. The physicochemical and microbiological characteristics and the concentrations of the bioactive compounds (anthocyanins, flavonoids, antioxidants, phenolic compounds and β-carotene) were tested. The results indicate that thermosonication, at moderate temperatures, preserved the essential physicochemical properties of the nectar, maintaining soluble solids, pH and titratable acidity. Pasteurization at 90 °C was more effective for inactivating PPO, while thermosonication at 50 °C showed special POD inactivation. Turbidity values remained within the recommended range for nectar quality under both treatments. It is concluded that, when choosing between the techniques, one should consider the thermal stability of the target enzymes, seeking a balance between enzyme inactivation and the preservation of product quality. Thermosonication is, however, a viable alternative for the processing of nectar made from the fruit of <em>B. crassifolia</em> and preserves its essential properties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 346-355"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146073757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mitigation of gold nanoparticle fouling in continuous microreactors","authors":"Joseph Carver ,&nbsp;YM John Chew ,&nbsp;Semali Perera ,&nbsp;Sooyeon Moon ,&nbsp;Sourav Chatterjee","doi":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.021","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.fbp.2026.01.021","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) are gaining interest in food processing, with applications ranging from antimicrobial food packaging to sensing and detection of foodborne pathogens. However, scaling their synthesis in a continuous flow system remains a formidable challenge, not only requiring precise control over particle size, process stability and high throughput, but also facing the persistent problem of surface fouling. In flow-based systems, this fouling typically originates at the microreactor inlet, where gold nuclei deposit on channel walls, triggering uncontrolled particle growth and, in extreme cases, complete blockage. In this study, Au-NPs were synthesized via citrate reduction of tetrachloroauric acid in a segmented flow microreactor, with antifouling strategies explored through chemical surface modification. Coating reactor walls with silica nanoparticles and subsequent silanization created a superhydrophobic interface, which showed some success in mitigating fouling. However, the trade-off between fouling prevention and product control remained evident. Importantly, we also show that fouled reactors can be effectively cleaned with <em>aqua regia</em>, a practical approach to prolong continuous operation beyond single use. These findings highlight surface fouling as a critical barrier in scalable Au-NP synthesis and provide insights into the broader challenges of optimising nanoparticle production in continuous flow.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12134,"journal":{"name":"Food and Bioproducts Processing","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 356-366"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}