An Updated Review on Exploring Hydrocolloids Application in Food Matrix: Current Insights Into Fruit, Bakery, Meat, and Dairy Based Products

This concise review provides a current overview of hydrocolloid applications across various food products, including fruit, bakery, meat, and dairy products. Hydrocolloids are gaining popularity for their role in producing healthier and high-quality food products that meet consumer expectations. Hydrocolloids are used in fruit-based products such as purees, jams, jellies, fruit fillings, juices, and fruit leathers to enhance textural stability by preventing syneresis and improving nutritional value as well as their consumer appeal. In bakery products such as muffins, bread, cakes, and cookies, hydrocolloids enhance thermal stability, texture, and sensory properties while also supporting the development of low-fat formulations. Hydrocolloids act as fat substitutes and texture modifiers in meat-based products, enhancing water retention, emulsion stability, and overall quality. They also help in developing texture-modified foods suitable for individuals with dysphagia. The use of hydrocolloids in dairy products, particularly yoghurts, cheeses, ice-cream, and milk beverages, aims to reduce fat content while retaining creamy texture as well as viscosity and preventing phase separation. This review highlighted recent advancements in hydrocolloid applications, their mechanisms of interaction with food components, and their potential for improving nutritional, textural, and functional properties across various food matrices. By addressing current research gaps and challenges, this work highlighted the important role of hydrocolloids in bringing innovation and sustainability to food product development.