Gels in Food Systems: Ingredients for Health, Sustainability and Industrial Innovation

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 571

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science (DISSPA), University of Bari Aldo Moro, I-70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: cereal-based products; flatbreads; gluten-free; legume; alternative ingredients; upcycling; antioxidant; texture; gels

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, gel use in food systems has received attention as a promising strategy to address nutritional, structural, and technological challenges. Gels, classified as water-based, lipid-based, or hybrids, exhibit considerable versatility across various food products, such as processed meats, cheeses, sweets, spreadable creams, and baked goods.

These ingredients’ functionality is particularly relevant to the reformulation of foods to meet the current health-driven demands. Gels have been demonstrated to function as effective fat replacers, thereby facilitating reductions in both the total and saturated fat contents while preserving desirable textures and palatability.

Interest is developing in the digestive behavior and in vitro/in vivo performance of functional food gels, particularly in their ability to modulate nutrient release and improve bioavailability.

Gels play a pivotal role in products designed to meet specific dietary requirements, such as gluten-free formulations, where they mimic the structural and viscoelastic properties of gluten, and plant-based alternatives, where they enhance the structure and sensory quality for vegetarian, vegan, and flexitarian consumers.

In this context, gels also offer opportunities for the valorization of food industry by-products. These materials, which are often rich in polysaccharides, fiber, and proteins, can be upcycled into functional gel-forming ingredients. This contributes to circularity and sustainability in food production.

This Special Issue aims to compile original research on innovative approaches to gel use in food applications, including gels’ roles as structuring agents, texture modifiers, carriers of functional compounds, or tools for product innovation. A particular focus will be placed on studies concentrating on gels’ rheological and stability properties, structure–function relationships, oxidative stability, and sensory aspects. Contributions addressing the practical implications of gel synthesis and incorporation processes, including their feasibility, scalability, and industrial applications, are strongly encouraged.

Dr. Francesca Vurro
Prof. Dr. Antonella Pasqualone
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • food innovation
  • food development
  • plant-based products
  • fat replacer
  • gluten-free

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 3117 KB  
Article
Physicochemical and Rheological Properties of Floury Rice Powder with Different Particle Sizes: Effects on Gluten-Free Sponge Cake Qualities
by Hyebin Jeon, Jungae Lee, Tae Gyu Nam, Hyunwook Choi and Hyun-Seok Kim
Gels 2025, 11(10), 789; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11100789 - 1 Oct 2025
Viewed by 244
Abstract
This study investigated the physicochemical and rheological properties of floury rice powder (FRP) with different particle sizes and their effects on the quality characteristics of gluten-free butter sponge cake. Soft rice grain (Baromi2 variety) was dry-milled and sieved into four fractions: FR1 (60 [...] Read more.
This study investigated the physicochemical and rheological properties of floury rice powder (FRP) with different particle sizes and their effects on the quality characteristics of gluten-free butter sponge cake. Soft rice grain (Baromi2 variety) was dry-milled and sieved into four fractions: FR1 (60 mesh overs), FR2 (60–80 mesh), FR3 (80–100 mesh), and FR4 (100 mesh throughs). FRP fractions were analyzed for chemical composition, swelling power, solubility, gelatinization, pasting viscosity, and viscoelastic property. Gluten-free cakes made using a whole-egg foam method were evaluated for morphological structure, baking loss, moisture, specific volume and firmness. With decreasing FRP particle size, there were increasing trends in solubility, pasting viscosity, resistance to deformation, viscoelastic attributes (G′ and G″), and gel rigidity. FR3 and FR4 cakes exhibited flat and puffy loaves compared to FR1 and FR2 cakes with loaf collapses. The finer FRP enhanced the morphological balances of the cakes. Increasing trends in specific volume and firmness were observed as FRP particle size decreased. These results paralleled the solubility, pasting, rheological, and gelling properties of FRP itself. Overall, the results suggest that the rheological and gelling properties of FRP may play a role in determining the quality of gluten-free sponge cakes. In addition, FRP with a particle size of 80–100 mesh appears most appropriate for gluten-free sponge cake. Full article
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