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Gels
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Recent Advance in Food Gels (3rd Edition)
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Recent Advance in Food Gels (3rd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1499

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhi Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
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
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lirong Cheng

E-Mail Website
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,

Significant developments in food hydrogel research have been observed in recent decades. For example, hydrogels made from emerging protein resources or fabricated via novel techniques such as high hydrostatic pressure or 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 analyze the microstructures of food hydrogels in their native aqueous states or under external environmental factors such as heating, high hydrostatic pressure, and large shear deformation. The time-resolved SAXS/SANS study of food hydrogels under different environmental stressors could provide valuable structural insights into their practical application. Thus, we welcome the submission of reviews and original research studies that address the novel fabrication, physicochemical characterization, and structural study of food hydrogels, particularly those obtained 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 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

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

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2763 KB  
Article
Effect of Cassia Gum on the Gel Properties of Wheat Flour–Tapioca Starch-Based Batter and the Oil Absorption Capacity of Fried Small Yellow Croaker
by Guilian Ran, Qiang Zhang, Yiping Liao, Liufang Xu and Qiang Zou
Gels 2025, 11(6), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11060469 - 18 Jun 2025
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Abstract
High oil content in breaded fried small yellow croaker (BFYC) was reduced using composite batter gels consisting of tapioca starch, wheat flour, and different concentrations of cassia gum (CG; 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1%). The effects of CG on the oil absorption [...] Read more.
High oil content in breaded fried small yellow croaker (BFYC) was reduced using composite batter gels consisting of tapioca starch, wheat flour, and different concentrations of cassia gum (CG; 0%, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1%). The effects of CG on the oil absorption capacity of BFYC and potential mechanisms were investigated. Dynamic rheological analysis revealed that CG addition could enhance the viscoelasticity of the batter by increasing its storage modulus and loss modulus. Furthermore, FTIR and X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that CG interacts with starch through noncovalent interactions, increasing the relative crystallinity from 9.29% to 16.49%, which promoted the formation of a gel layer. This structural improvement effectively inhibited oil absorption. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that within the 0–0.8% CG range, the batter’s denaturation temperature increased from 78.23 °C to 82.08 °C with higher CG concentrations, indicating prolonged gelatinization and enhanced thermal stability that further reduced oil penetration. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that CG increased the proportion of tightly bound and weakly bound water in the batter, thereby improving water retention capacity and reducing moisture loss during frying. Microscopic structural observations and Sudan Red-staining tests confirmed that at 0.8% CG concentration, the crust exhibited the lowest porosity with approximately 40% reduction in surface fat content compared to the control group. In conclusion, CG addition significantly improves batter properties and reduces oil content in fried products, providing theoretical support for the development of low-fat fried foods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (3rd Edition))
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Review

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31 pages, 8619 KB  
Review
A Critical Review: Gel-Based Edible Inks for 3D Food Printing: Materials, Rheology–Geometry Mapping, and Control
by Zhou Qin, Yang Yang, Zhaomin Zhang, Fanfan Li, Ziqing Hou, Zhihua Li, Jiyong Shi and Tingting Shen
Gels 2025, 11(10), 780; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11100780 - 29 Sep 2025
Viewed by 575
Abstract
Edible hydrogels are the central material class in 3D food printing because they reconcile two competing needs: (i) low resistance to flow under nozzle shear and (ii) fast recovery of elastic structure after deposition to preserve geometry. This review consolidates the recent years [...] Read more.
Edible hydrogels are the central material class in 3D food printing because they reconcile two competing needs: (i) low resistance to flow under nozzle shear and (ii) fast recovery of elastic structure after deposition to preserve geometry. This review consolidates the recent years of progress on hydrogel formulations—gelatin, alginate, pectin, carrageenan, agar, starch-based gels, gellan, and cellulose derivatives, xanthan/konjac blends, protein–polysaccharide composites, and emulsion gels alongside a critical analysis of printing technologies relevant to food: extrusion, inkjet, binder jetting, and laser-based approaches. For each material, this review connects gelation triggers and compositional variables to rheology signatures that govern printability and then maps these to process windows and post-processing routes. This review consolidates a decision-oriented workflow for edible-hydrogel printability that links formulation variables, process parameters, and geometric fidelity through standardized test constructs (single line, bridge, thin wall) and rheology-anchored gates (e.g., yield stress and recovery). Building on these elements, a “printability map/window” is formalized to position inks within actionable operating regions, enabling recipe screening and process transfer. Compared with prior reviews, the emphasis is on decisions: what to measure, how to interpret it, and how to adjust inks and post-set enablers to meet target fidelity and texture. Reporting minima and a stability checklist are identified to close the loop from design to shelf. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advance in Food Gels (3rd Edition))
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