Abstract: Prolamines, a group of naturally occurring polymers found in plants including zein, gliadin, hordein and kafirin, have a good biocompatibility and degradability. Prolamines can be used as a good carrier for functional components of foods. The structure and properties of the four prolamin proteins as well as the methods used to prepare their microparticles are reviewed in this paper. Meanwhile, the applications of prolamines as carriers to load nutrients such as polyphenols, oils and probiotics are also discussed.

Key words: prolamines, preparation, carriers, foods, nutrients