Hierarchical mesoporous silica materials for separation of functional food ingredients - A review

Recently developed mesoporous silica materials are proposed as adsorbents for the separation of food bioactive molecules, due to their narrow pore size distributions and high surface area. These materials can be synthesised with a variety of porous architectures with uniform pore sizes in the mesoporous range, making them attractive candidates for adsorption of biomacromolecules. Research on these materials to date has largely focused on their synthesis, characterisation and applications in catalysis. However, recent developments in the bioadsorption ability and capacity as well as the aqueous stability of mesoporous materials demonstrate their potential as adsorbents for separations in the food industry. This paper reviews the research in this area and identifies the challenges remaining for the application of these materials in food based separations. Crown Copyright (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.