The structural organization of food at the nanoscale plays a pivotal role in determining the macroscopic properties, nutritional profile, and sensory attributes of food products. Self-assembly, a spontaneous process where molecules organize into ordered structures driven by non-covalent interactions, has emerged as a fundamental principle in food science and colloid chemistry. Food polymers including proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids serve as excellent natural building blocks for these intricate systems. Through carefully controlled interactions, these biomacromolecules can form complex food colloids and highly ordered nanostructures, including micelles, liposomes, hydrogels, and nanoparticles. Understanding the physicochemical principles underlying these self-assembly processes is crucial for developing novel functional foods, improving the encapsulation and targeted delivery of bioactive compounds, and creating sustainable, clean-label ingredients.
Despite the rapid progress in food nanotechnology, comprehensively mapping the dynamic interactions and structural evolution of self-assembled nanostructures in complex food matrices remains a significant challenge. The primary goal of this Research Topic is to bridge the gap between fundamental colloidal chemistry and practical food applications. We aim to elucidate the thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms governing the self-assembly of food polymers and to explore how these nanoscale interactions can be manipulated to design innovative food structures. Recent advances in analytical techniques have provided deeper insights into the non-covalent interactions that dictate the architecture of food colloids. By gathering cutting-edge research, this special issue seeks to highlight strategies for overcoming stability issues during food processing and digestion, ultimately facilitating the rational design of self-assembled nanostructures with enhanced functionality, bioavailability, and structural integrity.
Scope and Information for Authors: This Research Topic welcomes contributions that explore the theoretical mechanisms, characterization, and application of self-assembled nanostructures in food systems. We invite researchers to submit Original Research, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, and Perspectives. Specific themes of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Theoretical modeling and advanced characterization of non-covalent interactions in food polymers.
• Design and fabrication of novel food colloids and nanostructures via self-assembly.
• Encapsulation, protection, and controlled delivery of bioactive compounds using self-assembled systems.
• The impact of food processing and gastrointestinal digestion on the stability of self-assembled architectures.
• Synergistic interactions between different biopolymers (e.g., protein-polysaccharide, lipid-protein) driving hierarchical self-assembly.
By advancing our understanding of these nanoscale phenomena, we hope to inspire next-generation innovations in functional food chemistry.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
- Editorial
- FAIR² Data
- Mini Review
- Original Research
- Perspective
- Review
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Keywords: Self-assembly, Food nanostructures, Biopolymers, Functional foods, Colloidal systems
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
