Food Gels: Fabrication, Characterization, and Application (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

Food gels, typically composed of proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids, are a type of viscoelastic system that is capable of entrapping water (hydrogels), oil (oleogels), and air (aerogels) in their three-dimensional networks. Food gels are essential in modern food formulation design and production due to their versatile functional properties, including modifying food structures to achieve a desired appearance, sensory, and texture; incorporating bioactive compounds with high physicochemical stability and bioavailability in food products; creating personal foods with specific shapes through 3D printing techniques; replacing fat to reduce intake of saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, and calories; and maintaining metastable food structures and extending shelf-life. The appropriate design of food gels not only improves the quality and personalization of food but also nutrition and health benefits.

However, owing to the increased complexity of food gels formulated with biopolymers compared to synthetic polymer gels, the relationships among material selection, fabrication strategy, microstructure, and mechanical and functional properties in specific food systems are not well understood. Furthermore, as scientific research can often neglect practical applications, bridging the gap between theory and practice is a key factor for scaling up the production of innovative gel-based foods with improved characteristics and functionalities.

We invite you to submit your latest research findings or review articles to this Special Issue, which highlights current research exploring food gels (e.g., hydrogels, oleogels, aerogels, emulsion gels, bigels, etc.), with a focus on formulation design, fabrication protocols, structure–property relationships, and applications in the food industry. You can view the first edition at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels/special_issues/XYYQ8U372D.

Dr. Hao Cheng
Dr. Wanwen Chen
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.

• food gel
• proteins
• polysaccharides
• lipids
• formulation and structure design
• structure–property relationship
• gel-based foods