Longtao Zhang

Bioactive polysaccharides (e.g., fucoidan, β-glucans, and medicinal plant polysaccharides) contain functional groups that interact with drug molecules, and some also retain their own biological activities. Through reversible noncovalent interactions, they can associate with small-molecule drugs and form supramolecular nanocomplexes, defined here as nanoscale assemblies in which the polysaccharide is a main structural component and its association with the drug contributes to assembly or drug retention. Multicomponent composites and bulk local matrices are discussed separately as related or extended systems. The review covers hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic association, electrostatic complexation, π–π stacking, and the cooperation among these interactions, together with the effects of pH, ionic strength, concentration, and solvent composition. Nanoprecipitation/solvent exchange, polyelectrolyte complexation, direct aqueous self-assembly, and microfluidic-assisted assembly are compared with respect to nanostructure formation, process control, and reproducibility. Molecular, colloidal, solid-state, and computational evidence is examined together when interpreting structure–assembly–performance relationships. Reported advantages include improved drug dispersibility, colloidal stability, release control, bioavailability, cellular uptake, biodistribution, and safety. In some systems, the polysaccharide itself may also contribute to therapeutic effects in tumors, inflammatory diseases, and wound healing. Related local-matrix systems are considered separately. Further development of these nanocomplexes will require better quantitative analysis of assembly mechanisms, more consistent polysaccharide characterization, careful biocompatibility assessment, scalable preparation, and longer-term safety evaluation.

Bioactive polysaccharides such as fucoidan, β-glucans, and medicinal plant polysaccharides contain functional groups that can interact with drug molecules, and some of them also retain their own biological activities. Through reversible noncovalent interactions, these polysaccharides can associate with small-molecule drugs and form supramolecular nanocomplexes. This review discusses hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic association, electrostatic complexation, π–π stacking, and the cooperation among these interactions. The effects of pH, ionic strength, concentration, and solvent composition on assembly behavior are also considered. Nanoprecipitation/solvent exchange, polyelectrolyte complexation, direct aqueous self-assembly, and microfluidic-assisted assembly are compared in terms of nanostructure formation, process control, and reproducibility. Evidence from molecular, colloidal, solid-state, and computational characterization is considered together to clarify the relationship between structure, assembly, and performance. Reported benefits include improved drug dispersibility, colloidal stability, release control, bioavailability, cellular uptake, biodistribution, and safety. In some systems, the polysaccharide component may also contribute to therapeutic effects in tumors, inflammatory diseases, infected wounds, and local regenerative matrices. Quantitative mechanism studies, polysaccharide standardization, biocompatibility assessment, process scale-up, and long-term safety evaluation remain necessary for the further development of these drug delivery systems.

Marine fish products are vulnerable to flavor drift during salting, drying, heating, storage, and reheating because lipid oxidation, ATP/protein degradation, Maillard/Strecker chemistry, and microbial metabolism occur concurrently. This review uses large yellow croaker ( Larimichthys crocea ; LYC), a commercially important n ‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)‐rich marine fish, as an LYC‐centered case system rather than a universally representative model for marine fish. By integrating direct LYC evidence with comparative seafood literature, this review summarizes transferable pathway‐level principles while emphasizing the need for species‐specific calibration before process transfer to other fish matrices and product formats. Cross‐pathway interactions among lipid oxidation, proteolysis/ATP degradation, Maillard/Strecker reactions, microbial metabolism, and flavor–matrix interactions are discussed together with reported operational parameter ranges and evidence‐graded process guidance where direct LYC data are available. The review further maps volatile and nonvolatile flavor drivers to sensory outcomes and summarizes current characterization and modeling approaches, including metabolomics, molecular sensomics, molecular dynamics simulations, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS)/GC–ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) coupled with chemometrics. Processing is highlighted as a double‐edged sword: Appropriate pretreatment and thermal regimes can enhance umami and aroma formation, whereas poorly controlled conditions accelerate oxidation, protein carbonylation, bitterness precursor accumulation, and warmed‐over flavor development. Emerging technologies and preservation strategies are critically evaluated, particularly where validation in LYC systems remains limited. Finally, this review proposes a staged roadmap toward predictive flavor control based on standardized datasets, kinetic modeling, online sensing, and pilot‐scale digital twin frameworks.

Brine curing is a unit operation in cured seafood manufacturing, and NaCl concentration is a readily adjustable process variable for regulating texture formation, sensory acceptability, and sodium addition. This study evaluated NaCl concentration as a process‐control variable for texture‐oriented brine curing of large yellow croaker ( Larimichthys crocea ). Fish cubes measuring approximately 2 × 2 × 1 cm were cured at 4°C for 6 h in brines containing 0%, 1%, 3%, or 5% NaCl, while sample geometry, curing temperature, curing time, and auxiliary additives were kept constant. Process performance was assessed using product‐level responses, including texture profile analysis, sensory segmentation quality, overall acceptability, and macroscopic appearance; muscle structural responses were used as endpoint indicators to interpret the process behavior. The endpoint responses separated the treatments into three concentration‐dependent regimes. The 0%–1% NaCl treatments represented an under‐processing region, with insufficient network development and poorly defined segmented texture. Approximately, 3% NaCl provided the most favorable empirical operating window, producing the clearest segmented appearance, the highest cohesiveness, and the highest overall acceptability among the tested treatments. In contrast, 5% NaCl crossed an over‐processing threshold, resulting in excessive hardness, reduced juiciness, stronger saltiness, and increased brine NaCl input. Supporting structural measurements indicated that the 3% set‐point corresponded to a controlled intermediate state of cross‐linking, aggregation, and sarcomere‐level reorganization, whereas 5% NaCl showed signs of excessive structural disruption. These findings provide an empirical process‐design basis for texture‐oriented brine curing under the tested conditions and suggest structural responses as candidate endpoint indicators for curing‐process evaluation. Future scale‐up should further quantify salt uptake, diffusion gradients, brine circulation, and geometry–time interactions.