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Volume 11
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10.3390/gels11070556
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Article

Rheological and Physical Properties of Mucilage Hydrogels from Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica: Comparative Study with Pectin

by
Federica Torregrossa
1,
Matteo Pollon
1,
Giorgia Liguori
1,
Francesco Gargano
1,
Donatella Albanese
2,
Francesca Malvano
2 and
Luciano Cinquanta
1,*
1
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 4, 90128 Palermo, PA, Italy
2
Department of Industrial Engineering, Università di Salerno, Via Ponte Don Melillo, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Gels 2025, 11(7), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070556
Submission received: 14 June 2025 / Revised: 11 July 2025 / Accepted: 14 July 2025 / Published: 19 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Outcomes and Trends in Polymer Gels: Designing, Properties and Applications)
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Abstract

The physical and rheological properties of mucilage hydrogels derived from the cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica (L. Mill) were compared with those of commercial pectin for potential applications in the food industry. All hydrogels—formulated by incorporating sucrose and either calcium chloride or calcium carbonate to promote favorable gel network formation—exhibited pseudoplastic (shear-thinning) behavior. The flow characteristics of the hydrogels prepared with mucilage or pectin conformed to the Casson fluid model. Moreover, all samples consistently displayed loss modulus (G″) values exceeding their corresponding storage modulus (G′) values, indicating a dominant viscous behavior over elastic properties. The ζ-potential of all samples was negative across the pH range studied. Mucilage-based samples exhibited lower ionizability per unit mass and reduced phase stability compared to those containing pectin. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that mucilage hydrogels exhibited multivariate profiles similar to pectin hydrogels containing calcium carbonate, though the latter demonstrated greater polydispersity than standard pectic gels. Infrared spectroscopy further highlighted distinct spectral differences between pectins and mucilages, offering valuable insights into their respective functional characteristics. Collectively, these findings underscore the potential of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilages as viable additives in food formulations.
Keywords: mucilage; pectin; Opuntia; ·rheological properties; ionic strength; viscosity mucilage; pectin; Opuntia; ·rheological properties; ionic strength; viscosity

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MDPI and ACS Style

Torregrossa, F.; Pollon, M.; Liguori, G.; Gargano, F.; Albanese, D.; Malvano, F.; Cinquanta, L. Rheological and Physical Properties of Mucilage Hydrogels from Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica: Comparative Study with Pectin. Gels 2025, 11, 556. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070556

AMA Style

Torregrossa F, Pollon M, Liguori G, Gargano F, Albanese D, Malvano F, Cinquanta L. Rheological and Physical Properties of Mucilage Hydrogels from Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica: Comparative Study with Pectin. Gels. 2025; 11(7):556. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070556

Chicago/Turabian Style

Torregrossa, Federica, Matteo Pollon, Giorgia Liguori, Francesco Gargano, Donatella Albanese, Francesca Malvano, and Luciano Cinquanta. 2025. "Rheological and Physical Properties of Mucilage Hydrogels from Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica: Comparative Study with Pectin" Gels 11, no. 7: 556. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070556

APA Style

Torregrossa, F., Pollon, M., Liguori, G., Gargano, F., Albanese, D., Malvano, F., & Cinquanta, L. (2025). Rheological and Physical Properties of Mucilage Hydrogels from Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica: Comparative Study with Pectin. Gels, 11(7), 556. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070556

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