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Volume 14
Issue 21
10.3390/foods14213642
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Gelatin-Based Zinc-Loaded Hydrogels Constructed with the Assistance of Sodium Alginate and Zinc Sulfate Solution Soaking Method

by
Hongrui Chen
1,
Xi Guan
1,
Xianglin He
1,
Qing Zhang
1,
Xingzhong Zhang
1,
Hai Chi
1,
Zhenju Jiang
2,* and
Jie Tang
1,*
1
School of Food and Bioengineering, Food Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Speciality Food Co-Built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Xihua University, Chengdu 611130, China
2
Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Xihua University, Chengdu 611130, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Foods 2025, 14(21), 3642; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213642 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 13 September 2025 / Revised: 14 October 2025 / Accepted: 22 October 2025 / Published: 24 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Food Physics and (Bio)Chemistry)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Constructing a zinc delivery system is crucial for scientific zinc supplementation. In this study, gelatin-based zinc-loaded hydrogels were constructed with the assistance of sodium alginate and a ZnSO4 solution soaking method. The zinc loading capacity, texture properties, rheological properties, microstructure, and pH sensitivity of hydrogels under different ratios of gelatin to sodium alginate were investigated. Results showed that the loading of zinc by hydrogel was successfully achieved through a ZnSO4 solution soaking method, and increasing the ZnSO4 concentration was conducive to zinc loading and hydrogel structure strengthening. Adding sodium alginate further enhanced the zinc loading capacity of hydrogel. When the concentration of ZnSO4 was 25 wt%, the zinc loading of hydrogel containing only gelatin and hydrogel with a 7:3 ratio of gelatin to sodium alginate was 29 mg/g and 52 mg/g, respectively. In addition, sodium alginate also endowed the hydrogel with a certain pH sensitivity. When the ratio of gelatin to sodium alginate was 7:3, the hydrogel showed obvious pH response behavior. Spectroscopy results revealed that zinc sulfate strengthened the hydrogel structure by inducing hydrophobic interactions and the formation of hydrogen bonds, while Zn2+ was bound to oxygen atoms through coordination bonds in hydrogel. These results could provide new ideas for the construction of zinc-loaded hydrogels.
Keywords: zinc; hydrogel; delivery system; pH sensitivity zinc; hydrogel; delivery system; pH sensitivity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chen, H.; Guan, X.; He, X.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, X.; Chi, H.; Jiang, Z.; Tang, J. Gelatin-Based Zinc-Loaded Hydrogels Constructed with the Assistance of Sodium Alginate and Zinc Sulfate Solution Soaking Method. Foods 2025, 14, 3642. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213642

AMA Style

Chen H, Guan X, He X, Zhang Q, Zhang X, Chi H, Jiang Z, Tang J. Gelatin-Based Zinc-Loaded Hydrogels Constructed with the Assistance of Sodium Alginate and Zinc Sulfate Solution Soaking Method. Foods. 2025; 14(21):3642. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213642

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chen, Hongrui, Xi Guan, Xianglin He, Qing Zhang, Xingzhong Zhang, Hai Chi, Zhenju Jiang, and Jie Tang. 2025. "Gelatin-Based Zinc-Loaded Hydrogels Constructed with the Assistance of Sodium Alginate and Zinc Sulfate Solution Soaking Method" Foods 14, no. 21: 3642. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213642

APA Style

Chen, H., Guan, X., He, X., Zhang, Q., Zhang, X., Chi, H., Jiang, Z., & Tang, J. (2025). Gelatin-Based Zinc-Loaded Hydrogels Constructed with the Assistance of Sodium Alginate and Zinc Sulfate Solution Soaking Method. Foods, 14(21), 3642. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14213642

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