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Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition)

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A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 9506

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhi Yang

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Guest Editor

School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Interests: food biomacromolecules structures and functionalities; food rheology; milk proteins; starch and non-starch polysaccharides; small-angle X-ray scattering; small-angle neutron scattering; ultra small-angle neutron scattering; non-thermal food processing
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Dr. Lirong Cheng

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Guest Editor

Riddet Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North 0745, New Zealand
Interests: emulsions; interfaces; proteins; gels; rheology; digestion; small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent decades have seen vast developments in food hydrogel research. For example, hydrogels made from emerging protein resources or fabricated using novel techniques such as high hydrostatic pressure or via novel routes such as self-assembly have attracted extensive attention from both academia and industry. In addition, unique techniques such as (ultra)small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering have been increasingly utilized to probe the microstructures of food hydrogels in their native aqueous states or under external environmental factors such as heating, high hydrostatic pressure, large shear deformation, etc. The time-resolved SAXS/SANS study of food hydrogels under different environmental stressors could provide valuable structural insights toward their practical application. Thus, we are calling for the submission of papers on recent reviews and original studies covering but not limited to the novel fabrication, physicochemical characterization, and structural studies of food hydrogels, particularly those from emerging resources.

Dr. Zhi Yang
Dr. Lirong Cheng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

emerging protein resources
polysaccharides
self-assembly
microstructure

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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15 pages, 2035 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Moisture Sorption Isotherms of Polydextrose and Its Gelling Efficiency in Inhibiting the Retrogradation of Rice Starch

by Chang Liu, Xiaoyu Li, Hongdong Song and Xingjun Li

Gels 2024, 10(8), 529; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10080529 - 12 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1035

Abstract

As an anti-staling agent in bread, the desorption isotherm of polydextrose has not been studied due to a very long equilibrium time. The adsorption and desorption isotherms of five Chinese polydextrose products were measured in the range of 0.1–0.9 a_w and 20–35 °C by a dynamic moisture sorption analyzer. The results show that the shape of adsorption and desorption isotherms was similar to that of amorphous lactose. In the range of 0.1–0.8 a_w, the hysteresis between desorption and adsorption of polydextrose was significant. The sorption isotherms of polydextrose can be fitted by seven commonly used models, and our developed seven-parameter polynomial, the adsorption equations of generalized D’Arcy and Watt (GDW) and Ferro-Fontan, and desorption equations of polynomial and Peleg, performed well in the range of 0.1–0.9 a_w. The hysteresis curves of polydextrose at four temperatures quickly decreased with a_w increase at a_w ˂ 0.5, andthereafter slowly decreased when a_w ≥ 0.5. The polynomial fitting hysteresis curves of polydextrose were divided into three regions: ˂0.2, 0.2–0.7, and 0.71–0.9 a_w. The addition of 0–10% polydextrose to rice starch decreased the surface adsorption and bulk absorption during the adsorption and desorption of rice starch, while it increased the water adsorption value at a_w ≥ 0.7 due to polydextrose dissolution. DSC analysis showed that polydextrose as a gelling agent inhibited the retrogradation of rice starch, which could be used to maintain the quality of cooked rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition))

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19 pages, 3754 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Screening of Optimal Konjac Glucomannan–Protein Composite Gel Formulations to Mimic the Texture and Appearance of Tripe

by Qiang Zou, Yudie Liu, Linghui Luo, Yuyou Chen, Yuhan Zheng, Guilian Ran and Dayu Liu

Gels 2024, 10(8), 528; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10080528 - 12 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1109

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a product that closely replicates the texture and appearance of tripe. The effect of three different proteins (soy protein isolate (SPI), pea protein isolate (PPI), and whey protein isolate (WPI)) at different protein levels and processing conditions (heating (90 °C, 1 h) followed by cooling (4 °C, 12 h) and heating (90 °C, 1h) followed by freezing (−18 °C, 12 h)) of konjac glucomannan (KGM) was analyzed. The optimal formulations for simulating tripe were screened by examining their similarity to real tripe in terms of texture, color, and sensory experience. The screened formulations were also subjected to a preliminary mechanistic investigation. The results show that all three proteins improved the gel’s textural properties to varying degrees. At the same concentration, the hardness and chewiness of the KGM/WPI composite gel were significantly higher than those of the other two KGM/protein composite gels, among which the composite gel obtained by adding 8% WPI and 5% KGM heating-frozen (FWK4) had the greatest hardness and chewiness of 4338.07 g and 2313.76, respectively, and the springiness differences in all of the composite gels were small. In addition, the addition of protein increased the whiteness of the hybrid gels, with WPI having the most significant effect on the whiteness of the composite gels (whiteness increased from 30.25 to 62.80 as the concentration of WPI increased from 0 to 10%). Freezing increased composite gel hardness and chewiness, but reduced gel springiness and whiteness. Cluster analysis showed that the composite gel obtained by heating–cooling 8% WPI and 5% KGM (WK4) was very similar to the real tripe in terms of chewiness and whiteness, and WK4 had the highest sensory scores for color, tissue morphology, tactile sensation, taste, and odor. The acceptability score in terms of tissue morphology reached 4.3. Meanwhile, the characterization results of WK4 indicate the presence of large junction areas in the gel network. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, X-ray diffraction, and intermolecular force contributions indicated that the incorporation of WPI promoted integral interactions, and that hydrophobic interactions and disulfide bonding played a key role in the WK4 composite gel system. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also showed that the combination of WPI and konjac glucan resulted in a more compact gel structure. This study is informative for the development of the field of bionic tripe processing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition))

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15 pages, 5454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

3D Printing Properties of Heat-Induced Sodium Alginate–Whey Protein Isolate Edible Gel

by Zhihua Li, Siwen Wang, Zhou Qin, Wenbing Fang, Ziang Guo and Xiaobo Zou

Gels 2024, 10(7), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10070425 - 27 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1081

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a food 3D printing gel and investigate the effects of whey protein isolate (WPI), sodium alginate (SA), and water-bath heating time on the 3D printing performance of the gel. Initially, the influence of these three factors on the rheological properties of the gel was examined to determine the suitable formulation ranges for 3D printing. Subsequently, the formulation was optimized using response surface methodology, and texture analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were conducted. The rheological results indicated that gels with WPI concentrations of 6–7 g, SA concentrations of 0.8–1.2 g, and water-bath heating times of 10–12 min exhibited lower yield stress and better self-supporting properties. The optimized formulation, determined through response surface methodology, consisted of 1.2 g SA, 6.5 g WPI, and a heating time of 12 min. This optimized formulation demonstrated enhanced extrusion capability and superior printing performance. SEM analysis revealed that the optimized gel possessed good mechanical strength, and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the successful composite formation of the gel. Overall, the results indicate that the optimized gel formulation can be successfully printed and exhibits excellent 3D printing performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition))

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26 pages, 6588 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microencapsulation of Grape Pomace Extracts with Alginate-Based Coatings by Freeze-Drying: Release Kinetics and In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assessment of Phenolic Compounds

by Josipa Martinović, Rita Ambrus, Mirela Planinić, Gordana Šelo, Ana-Marija Klarić, Gabriela Perković and Ana Bucić-Kojić

Gels 2024, 10(6), 353; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10060353 - 21 May 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1811

Abstract

The phenols from grape pomace have remarkable beneficial effects on health prevention due to their biological activity, but these are often limited by their bioaccessibility in the gastrointestinal tract. Encapsulation could protect the phenolics during digestion and influence the controlled release in such an intestine where their potential absorption occurs. The influence of freeze-drying encapsulation with sodium alginate (SA) and its combination with gum Arabic (SA-GA) and gelatin (SA-GEL) on the encapsulation efficiency (EE) of phenol-rich grape pomace extract and the bioaccessibility index (BI) of phenolics during simulated digestion in vitro was investigated. The addition of a second coating to SA improved the EE, and the highest EE was obtained with SA-GEL (97.02–98.30%). The release of phenolics followed Fick’s law of diffusion and the Korsmeyer–Peppas model best fitted the experimental data. The highest BI was found for the total phenolics (66.2–123.2%) and individual phenolics (epicatechin gallate 958.9%, gallocatechin gallate 987.3%) using the SA-GEL coating were used. This study shows that freeze-dried encapsulated extracts have the potential to be used for the preparation of various formulations containing natural phenolic compounds with the aim of increasing their bioaccessibility compared to formulations containing non-encapsulated extracts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition))

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18 pages, 3190 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Shearing and Annealing on the Pasting Properties of Different Starches

by Abdellatif A. Mohamed, Mohamed Saleh Alamri, Hesham Al-Quh, Shahzad Hussain, Mohamed A. Ibraheem, Abdur Rehman and Akram A. Qasem

Gels 2024, 10(6), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10060350 - 21 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1268

Abstract

The functional characteristics of starch can be altered by shear force, which makes the impact on its microstructure of great importance to the food industry. This study investigated the effects of freeze-drying on the gel texture, pasting capabilities, and swelling power of starches made from sweet potatoes (SP), chickpeas (CP), and wheat (WS) combined with Cordia (CG) and Ziziphus gum (ZG). The samples were annealed in water without shearing and in a rapid visco-analyzer (RVA) for 30 min at 60 °C while being spun at 690 rpm. Both native and freeze-dried samples were mixed with 1% or 3% ZG and CG. After annealing, the starches were examined using a texture analyzer and RVA. The results showed that freeze-drying had a substantial (p > 0.05) impact on the starch granule, in addition to the effect of annealing. The peak viscosity of freeze-dried native CP and SP starches increased, but the peak viscosity of freeze-dried wheat starch decreased. The setbacks for CP and WS increased, whereas the setbacks for SP varied slightly. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that annealing in an RVA exhibited a substantially lower peak viscosity than annealing in a water bath; the RVA’s shearing effect may have been the cause of this difference. Cordia gum fared better than ZG in terms of peak viscosity, although ZG significantly reduced setback in comparison to CG. Among the various blends, the native WB sample had the lowest hardness (100 ± 4.9 g), while the freeze-dried WB SP sample had the greatest (175.5 ± 4.8 g). Shearing of starches broke up the granules into smaller pieces, which made them gel at lower temperatures. This could be a good thing when they are needed for food uses that require little cooking. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition))

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13 pages, 6813 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Starch Types on the Textural and Rehydration Properties of Extruded Peanut Protein Pore Gel Particles

by Feng Guo, Anna Hu, Huan Zhou, Hui Hu, Tongqing Li, Qiang Wang and Jinchuang Zhang

Gels 2024, 10(4), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10040250 - 7 Apr 2024

Viewed by 1559

Abstract

In this study, the effect of different starches from corn, potato and pea containing varying amylose/amylopectin ratios on the textural and rehydration properties of extruded peanut protein gel particles were investigated. Results showed that textural and rehydration properties of peanut protein extruded with corn starch, potato starch and amylopectin are slightly inferior to those of peanut protein with pea starch extrudates. The addition of pea starch led to an increase in the pore structure of the peanut protein extrudates and improved their water absorption index, simultaneously reducing the hardness and density. Pea starch, as a natural water-absorbing expansion material, helped peanut protein to form cross-linked gel polymers that bind more water molecules, in addition to further polymerization with peanut protein, which made the protein secondary structure became disordered. These changes directly affected the textural properties of the extrudates. In addition, the blended system of starches and peanut protein tended to form more elastic solids, which affected the expansion of the extrudates. These findings indicate that starch can effectively improve the poor expansion of proteins, making it suitable for use in the production of plant protein-based foods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition))

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18 pages, 4648 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Cellulose Triacetate Nanofibers as Sustainable Structuring Agent for Castor Oil: Formulation Design and Rheological Insights

by M. A. Martín-Alfonso, José F. Rubio-Valle, Gethzemani M. Estrada-Villegas, Margarita Sánchez-Domínguez and José E. Martín-Alfonso

Gels 2024, 10(4), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10040221 - 25 Mar 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1250

Abstract

Developing gelled environmentally friendly dispersions in oil media is a hot topic for many applications. This study aimed to investigate the production of electrospun cellulose triacetate (CTA) nanofibers and to explore their potential application as a thickening agent for castor oil. The key factors in the electrospinning process, including the intrinsic properties of CTA solutions in methylene chloride (DCM)/ethanol (EtOH), such us the shear viscosity, surface tension, and electrical conductivity, were systematically studied. The impact of the CTA fiber concentration and the ratio of DCM/EtOH on the rheological properties of the gel-like dispersions in castor oil was then investigated. It was found that dispersions with a non-Newtonian response and above a critical concentration (5 wt.%), corresponding to approximately 2–2.5 times the entanglement concentration, are required to produce defect-free nanofibers. The average fiber diameter increased with CTA concentration. Further, the morphology and texture of the electrospun nanofibers are influenced by the ratio of solvents used. The rheological properties of dispersions are strongly influenced by the concentration and surface properties of nanofibers, such as their smooth or porous textures, which allow their modulation. Compared to other commonly used thickeners, such as synthetic polymers and metal soaps, CTA electrospun nanofibers have a much higher oil structuring capacity. This work illustrated the potential of using CTA nanofibers as the foundation for fabricating gel-like dispersions in oil media, and thus exerting hierarchical control of rheological properties through the use of a nanoscale fabrication technique. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition))

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