Research Progress of Chitosan-based Antibacterial Hydrogels in Biomedicine and Food Preservation

WANG Zhichao; XIA Fujian; JIANG Yu

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.010

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (11) : 94-102. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.010

Advanced Materials

Research Progress of Chitosan-based Antibacterial Hydrogels in Biomedicine and Food Preservation

WANG Zhichao¹, XIA Fujian¹, JIANG Yu^1,2*

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Abstract

The work aims to explore the current research status, performance improvement strategies and application prospects of chitosan-based antibacterial hydrogels, and to promote their development in biomedicine and food preservation. This paper systematically reviewed the relevant domestic and foreign literature in recent years, and conducted a comprehensive analysis on the modification strategies of the performance of chitosan-based antibacterial hydrogels and their applications biomedicine and food preservation. Chitosan, owing to its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, has demonstrated significant application potential in fields such as biomedicine and the food industry. However, native chitosan suffers from inherent drawbacks such as poor water solubility, weak mechanical strength, and instability of its antimicrobial properties under varying environmental conditions, which limit its practical applications. The three-dimensional network structure of hydrogels can effectively compensate for these shortcomings. Meanwhile, through various modification methods such as chemical modification, nanoparticle composites, and plant essential oil composites, the comprehensive performance of chitosan antibacterial hydrogels can be further improved, thereby expanding their application scope. At present, its application research mainly focuses on wound repair, drug sustained-release, and food preservation fields. It can provide some references for the subsequent research and application of high-performance chitosan-based antibacterial hydrogels.

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chitosan / antibacterial / hydrogel / wound healing / drug release / food preservation

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WANG Zhichao, XIA Fujian, JIANG Yu. Research Progress of Chitosan-based Antibacterial Hydrogels in Biomedicine and Food Preservation[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(11): 94-102 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.11.010

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