Natural biopolymer-based hydrogels for use in food and agriculture

Hydrogels are important materials that are of high scientific interest and with numerous applications. Natural polymer-based hydrogels are preferred to synthetic ones due to their safety, biocompatibility, and ecofriendly properties. They have been studied extensively and implemented in various fields, such as medicine, cosmetics, personal-care products, water purification, and more. This review focuses on the applications of nature-sourced polymer-based hydrogels in food and agriculture. Different types of biopolymers and crosslinking agents, and various methods for hydrogel formation are described. The physicomechanical properties and applied activities of the resulting materials are also comprehensively discussed. Biodegradable synthetic polymers are outside the scope of this review. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.