Cyclodextrin-based metal-organic frameworks as microreactors: Purification and stabilization of food bioactive compounds in Confined Spaces

Background: Functional foods of bioactive compounds are generally biologically and physiologically active, providing health -beneficial effects. Their structure sensitivity to various environmental and processing conditions makes it hard to utilize them in food systems. Cyclodextrin-based metal -organic frameworks (CD-MOFs) are proposed as multifunctional materials that can separate and stabilize bioactive compounds. These materials have excellent biocompatibility, an eminently porous structure, and various functional sites. Scope and approach: This review discusses the important factors of structure features of CD-MOFs including ionexchange properties, host -guest interactions, diverse porous structure, and controllable particle size, which have a key role in the encapsulation properties of bioactive compounds. In addition, the recent progress in the development of CD-MOFs for the separation and stabilization of bioactive compounds in food applications has been summarized and discussed. Key findings and conclusions: By taking advantage of the pore structure of CD-MOFs, CD-MOFs have the potential for selective capture of bioactive compounds from food sources. In addition, food bioactive compounds encapsulated in CD-MOFs can protect against external condition damage by pore shielding effect of CD-MOFs. Although CD-MOFs are promising for the purification and stabilization of food bioactive compounds, the precise control over pore surface chemistry and pore size of CD-MOFs should be delicately designed for maximally selective enrichment and stabilization of food bioactive compounds.