Recent Advance in Food Gels (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 1439

Special Issue Editors

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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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.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • emerging protein resources
  • polysaccharides
  • self-assembly
  • microstructure

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 6813 KiB  
Article
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 - 07 Apr 2024
Viewed by 643
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 [...] Read more.
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  
Article
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
Viewed by 636
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 [...] Read more.
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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