Recent Advances 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: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1767
Special Issue Editors
Interests: emulsions; fluorescence spectroscopy; FT-IR spectroscopy; rheological properties; food packaging; antioxidants; diet supplements
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: food biophysics; spectroscopic methods; nanostructures; antioxidant properties of plant extracts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The Editorial Board of Gels invites you to submit an article to the Special Issue entitled “Recent Advances in Food Gels (2nd Edition)”. Its first edition published 13 papers; you can view it at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels/special_issues/R43VZ9PT42.
Polymer gels are special colloidal systems arising from sol coagulation. They exhibit three-dimensional spatial structures. This kind of system can be characterized as a transitory state of matter or substance, which can be considered in-between a solid state and a liquid state. Gels possess both elastic and viscous properties. Similar to solids, they can exhibit an elastic response, deforming as a result of external force application but returning to their original shapes and dimensions when force disappears. On the other hand, gels also show viscous behavior, as a part of displacement energy is not recovered after the force is reduced to zero. This can result in the flow of gels.
Gels based on both synthetic and natural polymers (biopolymers) can be applied to cosmetics, medicine, the food industry, and the pharmaceutical industry. These gels can improve the stability and assure the desired consistency of different cosmetic and food products, for instance, creams, lotions, and yogurts. Despite many breakthroughs in the chemistry of synthetic polymers in recent years, there are still many areas for development and new challenges, such as identifying a renewable source of origin and improving cost-effectiveness, sustainability, etc. Therefore, the need for gels based on natural polymers emerges. Gels consisting of edible biopolymers such as peptides and polysaccharides are considered perspective systems to meet those expectations due to their low cost, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and renewable nature. Moreover, they exhibit a variety of functions and physical properties of gelling. Compared to synthetic polymers, edible biopolymers may play a key role in the modern and advanced design of food, especially in adjusting the desired sensorial, rheological, structural, and functional properties, preserving their metastable structure and therefore extending their shelf life. They can also replace fats and increase satiety, reducing food consumption.
This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality manuscripts reporting on any of the following topics: new methods of gel design and preparation; the mechanisms and nature of gelling; and the structural, mechanical, or spectroscopic characterization of edible gels. Reports presenting the impact of edible gels on rheological, tribological, and sensory properties of foods, the possibility of their usage in targeted drug delivery, and bioactivity in the gastrointestinal system are also welcome.
Dr. Przemyslaw Siejak
Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Polewski
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 2100 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
- biopolymers
- chemical properties
- food gel networks
- food product development
- gelation mechanism
- hydrogels/microgels/nanogels
- multicomponent/mixed gels
- oleogels/aerogels/lipogels/emulgels
- physical properties
- polysaccharide gels
- protein gels
- rheology
- sensory properties of food
- texture
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Related Special Issue
- Recent Advances in Food Gels in Gels (13 articles)
