Recent Advances in Food Gels—3rd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

The Editorial Board of Gels invites you to submit an article to this Special Issue on “Recent Advances in Food Gels—3rd Edition”.

The first edition published 13, and the second edition published 6; please click on the below links to view the previous editions: 
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels/special_issues/R43VZ9PT42
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels/special_issues/46AKEZE489.

Polymer gels are special colloidal systems arising from sol coagulation that exhibit three-dimensional spatial structures. These kinds of systems can be characterized as a transitory state of matter or of a substance, which can be understood as being between a solid state and a liquid state. Gels possess both elastic and viscous properties and, similarly to solids, they can exhibit an elastic response, deforming as a result of an external force but returning to their original shape and dimensions when the force is removed. On the other hand, gels also show viscous behavior, as some of the displacement energy is not recovered once the force is reduced to zero. This can result in gels flowing.

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 stability and ensure 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, a demand has emerged for gels based on natural polymers. Gels consisting of edible biopolymers such as peptides and polysaccharides are, due to their low cost, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and renewable nature, thought to have the potential to meet these expectations. Moreover, they exhibit a variety of gelling functions and physical properties. Compared to synthetic polymers, edible biopolymers may play a key role in modern and advanced food design, especially in terms of adjusting the desired sensorial, rheological, structural, and functional properties of foods, 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 on the impact of edible gels on the 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.

• 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

• Recent Advances in Food Gels in Gels (13 articles)
• Recent Advances in Food Gels (2nd Edition) in Gels (6 articles)