Submit to Gels Review for Gels Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Related Special Issue
Published Papers

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2025) | Viewed by 7196

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Buliyaminu Adegbemiro Alimi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, D24FKT9 Dublin, Ireland
Interests: hydrocolloids; food chemistry; food rheology; food gels
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Da Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Interests: food gels; rheology; gel microstructure; plant and dairy proteins

Prof. Dr. Ana Bucić-Kojić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, F. Kuhača 18, HR-31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: bioactive compounds; extraction; encapsulation; food gels; bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds; upcycling of by-products from the agro-food industry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent innovations in modern processing technology have transformed a number of scientific and industrial areas, including the food industry. Gels have attracted increasing interest in the food discipline due to their good biocompatibility, biodegradability, nutritional properties, and edibility. These food colloids exhibit applicative potential in domains where gel-based systems play a crucial role, such as encapsulation and the controlled release of bioactive compounds, the bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds during digestion, the structuring and stabilization of emulsions and foams, the development of meat substitutes, plant-based protein gels, dairy products, confectioneries, bakery products, and novel gel-based food products. The mechanism of gelation is determined by the gelling agent(s) and the conditions of gel formation. The incorporation of plant-based proteins, plant-based hydrocolloids, gums, and fibers to create healthier and sustainable gel-based products is explored. Novel formulations with enhanced functional properties, nutritional profiles, and reduced allergenicity are also investigated.

This Special Issue invites authors to contribute high-quality original research or review articles on the utilization of novel ingredients and formulations in the development of versatile food gels.

Dr. Buliyaminu Adegbemiro Alimi
Dr. Da Chen
Prof. Dr. Ana Bucić-Kojić
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

novel food-derived gels
encapsulation and delivery of bioactive compounds using gels
bioaccessibility of bioactive compounds
gel-based packaging and edible coatings
structure
processing technologies

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications (2nd Edition) in Gels

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 1534 KB

Open AccessArticle

Designing Spoonable Milk Kefir Gels: From Fermentation Optimization to Clean-Label Gel Structuring with Psyllium

by María Cardenete-Fernández, Alicia Castillo-Rivas, M. Montaña Durán-Barrantes, Luis A. Trujillo-Cayado and Jenifer Santos

Gels 2025, 11(9), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090693 - 1 Sep 2025

Viewed by 370

Abstract

Kefir is a fermented dairy product whose structural properties can be modified to enhance its nutritional and sensory profile. The objective of this study was to develop spoonable milk kefir gels by optimizing fermentation conditions and incorporating psyllium and calcium chloride as structuring agents. In the initial phase of the study, a full factorial design was employed to conduct a comparative analysis of whole milk and skimmed milk during the fermentation process of kefir. The study encompassed the evaluation of the impact of various parameters, including inoculum level, temperature, and fermentation time, on the acidification kinetics of the fermentation process. This evaluation was facilitated through the measurement of pH and total acidity levels. Skimmed milk demonstrated accelerated acidification, consistently attaining a final pH of 4.08 and a total acidity of 9.99 g·L⁻¹ lactic acid equivalents under optimized conditions (5.5% weight:weight grains, 26 °C, 24 h). In the subsequent phase, kefir obtained under these conditions was gelled with varying concentrations of psyllium and calcium chloride. Rheological characterization revealed that psyllium markedly strengthened the gel network: at 3.06% w:w psyllium, the elastic modulus increased up to 209.6 Pa, while the critical stress improved from 0.64 Pa at low psyllium/Ca²⁺ to 10.42 Pa at high psyllium content. Furthermore, zero-shear viscosity increased substantially, exceeding 1500 Pa·s in high-psyllium, low-calcium formulations. The findings demonstrate that combining fermentation optimization with clean-label structuring agents enables the development of low-fat kefir gels with enhanced textural and processing properties, supporting their potential as synbiotic, functional dairy products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 6809 KB

Open AccessArticle

Flaxseed Fiber-Structured Nanoemulgels for Salad Dressing Applications: Processing and Stability

by María-Carmen Alfaro-Rodríguez, Fátima Vela, María-Carmen García-González and José Muñoz

Gels 2025, 11(9), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090678 - 24 Aug 2025

Viewed by 391

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the production of nanoemulgels structured with flaxseed fiber, designed to simulate salad dressings. For this purpose, the influence of microfluidizer passes (from one to four) on physicochemical and rheological properties was determined, followed by an assessment of thermal behavior. Rotor–stator homogenization followed by microfluidization were employed to produce nanoemulgels, which were characterized using laser diffraction, multiple light scattering, and rheological measurements. The resulting systems exhibited monomodal particle size distributions with mean diameters below 220 nm. Increasing the number of microfluidizer passes from one to four led to slight reductions in particle size, although they were not statistically significant. The formulation with two passes demonstrated superior physical stability during aging studies. Rheological evaluation indicated enhanced gel-like behavior with up to three passes, whereas excessive energy input (four passes) slightly compromised structural integrity. The linear viscoelastic region decreased notably after the first pass but remained relatively stable thereafter. The two-pass nanoemulgel, identified as the optimal formulation, was further tested for thermal stability. Temperature increases (5–20 °C) led to minor decreases in viscosity and firmness, yet the structure remained thermally stable. These findings support microfluidization as an effective strategy for developing stable flaxseed fiber-based nanoemulgels, with potential applications in functional food systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1890 KB

Open AccessArticle

Compound Salt-Based Coagulants for Tofu Gel Production: Balancing Quality and Protein Digestibility

by Zhaolu Li, Sisi Zhang, Zihan Gao, Xinyue Guo, Ruohan Wang, Maoqiang Zheng and Guangliang Xing

Gels 2025, 11(7), 524; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070524 - 6 Jul 2025

Viewed by 745

Abstract

Tofu quality is critically influenced by coagulants, though their impact on protein digestibility remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the effects of calcium sulfate (CaSO₄), magnesium chloride (MgCl₂), and their combination (CaSO₄ + MgCl₂) on the physicochemical properties and protein digestibility of tofu. Water-holding capacity, cooking loss, texture, protein composition, and protein digestibility were analyzed. The results showed that the CaSO₄ + MgCl₂ combination yielded a water-holding capacity of 99.16%, significantly higher than CaSO₄ tofu (93.73%) and MgCl₂ tofu (96.82%), while reducing cooking loss to 2.03% and yielding the highest hardness (897.27 g) and gumminess (765.72). Electrophoresis revealed distinct protein retention patterns, with MgCl₂ (0.6% w/v) forming denser gels that minimized protein leakage into soy whey. During in vitro digestion, MgCl₂-coagulated tofu exhibited superior soluble protein release (5.33 mg/mL after gastric digestion) and higher intestinal peptide (5.89 mg/mL) and total amino acid (123.06 μmol/mL) levels, indicating enhanced digestibility. Conversely, the CaSO₄ + MgCl₂ combination showed delayed proteolysis in electrophoresis analysis. These findings demonstrate that coagulant selection directly modulates tofu’s texture, water retention, and protein bioavailability, with MgCl₂ favoring digestibility and the hybrid coagulant optimizing physical properties. This provides strategic insights for developing nutritionally enhanced tofu products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

25 pages, 6040 KB

Open AccessArticle

Spray-Drying Microencapsulation of Grape Pomace Extracts with Alginate-Based Coatings and Bioaccessibility of Phenolic Compounds

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

Gels 2025, 11(2), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11020130 - 11 Feb 2025

Viewed by 1868

Abstract

Spray-drying is a common technique for the microencapsulation of bioactive compounds, which is crucial for improving their stability and bioavailability. In this study, the encapsulation efficiency (EE), physicochemical properties and in vitro bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds from spray-dried encapsulated phenol-rich extracts of grape pomace, a winery waste, were evaluated. Sodium alginate alone (SA) or in a mixture with gum Arabic (SA-GA) or gelatin (SA-GEL) was used as a coating. SA-GEL achieved the highest EE (95.90–98.01%) and outperformed the intestinal release of phenolics by achieving a bioaccessibility index (BI) for total phenolic compounds of 37.8–96.2%. The release mechanism of phenolics from the microcapsules adhered to Fickian diffusion. Encapsulation significantly improved the BI of individual phenolics, with the highest BI values for gallocatechin gallate (2028.7%), epicatechin gallate (476.4%) and o-coumaric acid (464.2%) obtained from the SA-GEL microcapsules. Structural analysis confirmed amorphous matrices in all systems, which improved solubility and stability. These results suggest that encapsulation by spray-drying effectively protects phenolics during digestion and ensures efficient release in the intestine, which improves bioaccessibility. This study contributes to the understanding of biopolymer-based encapsulation systems, but also to the valorisation of grape pomace as a high-value functional ingredient in sustainable food processing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 1643 KB

Open AccessArticle

Quality Characteristics and In Vitro Digestibility of Starch Gel in White Noodles Prepared with Short-Chain Glucan Aggregates (SCGA)

by Jae-Geun Park, Sang-Jin Ye, Seon-Min Oh, Jae-Sung Shin, Ji-Eun Bae, Hyun-Wook Choi and Moo-Yeol Baik

Gels 2025, 11(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11010006 - 26 Dec 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1246

Abstract

Short-chain glucan aggregates (SCGA), a type of resistant starch (RS) Ⅲ, is produced by debranching amylopectin with pullulanase and inducing self-assembly. Despite its low digestibility and high RS content, SCGA has not been applied to real food systems, especially noodles. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of low-digestible noodles using SCGA and to evaluate their quality characteristics and in vitro digestibility of starch gel. SCGA-noodles (SN) were prepared by substituting 0, 10, 20, and 25% of wheat flour with SCGA, and non-digestible maltodextrin (NMD) replaced 7% of the flour for comparison. Adding SCGA increased L- and b-values of the dough, resulting in a brighter appearance, while the NMD increased a-values. The substitution with SCGA weakened the gluten network, reducing dough and texture properties. Notably, cooked SN25 broke immediately in the tensile test, indicating substitution up to 20% is feasible in noodles. NMD7 formed sticky dough and showed extensive elongation without breaking. SN20 and SN25 significantly increased RS content and decreased the estimated glycemic index (eGI) compared to the control. However, NMD7 did not significantly reduce in vitro starch digestibility. In conclusion, this research confirmed the potential of SCGA as a low-digestible ingredient for noodles and other food applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 2634 KB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of the Ratio of Protein to Water on the Weak Gel Nonlinear Viscoelastic Behavior of Fish Myofibrillar Protein Paste from Alaska Pollock

by Timilehin Martins Oyinloye and Won Byong Yoon

Gels 2024, 10(11), 737; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10110737 - 13 Nov 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1545

Abstract

The linear and nonlinear rheological behaviors of fish myofibrillar protein (FMP) paste with 75%, 82%, and 90% moisture content were evaluated using small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) and large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) tests. SAOS revealed pastes with 75% and 82% moisture exhibited solid-like behavior, characterized by higher storage modulus (G′) than loss modulus (G″), indicative of weak gel properties with a strong protein interaction. In contrast, the 90% moisture content showed more viscous behavior due to weakened protein–protein entanglements. The frequency exponent (n′ and n″) from the power law equation varied slightly (0.24 to 0.36), indicating limited sensitivity to changes in deformation rate during SAOS. LAOS tests revealed significant structural changes, with Lissajous–Bowditch curves revealing early nonlinearities at 10% strain for 90% moisture content. Decomposed Chebyshev coefficients

(e_{3} / e_{1}, v_{3} / v_{1}, S, and T)

indicated strain stiffening at lower strains for the 75% and 82% moisture pastes (i.e., < 50% strain for 75% and < 10% strain for 82%), transitioning to strain thinning at higher strains. Additionally, numerical model confirmed the predictability of the 3D printing process from the nonlinear rheological data, confirmed the suitability of the 75% and 82% moisture pastes for applications requiring structural integrity. These insights are essential for optimizing processing conditions in industrial applications. The findings suggest that the 75% and 82% moisture pastes are suitable for applications requiring structural integrity, while the 90% moisture paste is ideal for flow-based processes. These insights are essential for optimizing processing conditions in industrial applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Food Gel-Based Systems: Gel-Forming and Food Applications

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI