Progress in Research on Self-assembly of Curdlan and Its Application

Curdlan is one of the polysaccharides that have attracted considerable research interest in the fields of food processing and biomedical development due to its biodegradability, non-toxicity, and wide availability, as well as its anti-tumor and immunomodulatory activities. As the unique triple-helix conformation of curdlan and its self-assembly mechanism have been investigated increasingly, the construction of functional bioactive macromolecules and complexes based on curdlan self-assembly has been gaining increasing attention from researchers. More and more new research directions have emerged in the functional utilization and industrial application of curdlan in the fields of food and biomedicine. This article reviews the self-assembly of curdlan and its applications, with a special focus on the characteristics of the self-assembly process under different induction conditions and the latest progress in the construction of functional materials based on curdlan self-assembly, in order to provide a theoretical reference for studies and applications of curdlan in the food field.