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Gels
Special Issues
Food Gels: Structures, Properties and Applications
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Food Gels: Structures, Properties and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 2535

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Honghai Hu

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Guest Editor
Institute of Agricultural Products Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: food component interaction; multicomponent gelation; modification of food physical properties; new food colloid design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jianhui Xiao

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Guest Editor
School of Food Science and Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
Interests: starch; colloids; food digestion; commercial sterilization; frozen dough
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lianliang Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, China
Interests: hydrogel; polysaccharide; delivery system; polyphenols; Maillard reaction; probiotics; prebiotics; immune metabolism; gut microbiota
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ruixuan Zhao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: starch modification; non-grain biomass; gel structure and properties; pre-gelatinization
Dr. Jing Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: starch; gel structure and properties; enzymatic modification; biocatalysis and enzyme engineering; efficient biomass utilization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled “Food Gels: Structures, Properties and Applications”, is dedicated to recent developments in the field of food gels, from their theoretical aspects to their formation mechanisms, properties, and applications.

Food gels are soft, flexible macromolecular polymeric materials that retain large amounts of water or biofluids in their three-dimensional network structure. Owing to the structural and viscoelastic characteristics of these gels, they play essential roles in modern food design—for example, they are used to replace fats, increase shelf life, and guard flavor compounds—and in the creation of complex product shapes via three-dimensional (3D) printing. An increasing trend has been observed in the use of hydrogels as stimuli-responsive delivery systems because of their sustainable, low-cost, nontoxic, and biocompatible nature. Researchers endeavor to understand the mechanisms of gelling processes under different gelation conditions and use different gelling agents, such as polysaccharides or starch, to achieve gels with specific attributes. Although many aspects of the formation mechanisms, functions, and applications of gels have been clarified thus far, many phenomena remain unsolved. We look forward to receiving submissions of new results on the interconnection between gel networks, the preparation of gels, and the novel application of gels with high functional properties.

Prof. Dr. Honghai Hu
Prof. Dr. Jianhui Xiao
Dr. Lianliang Liu
Dr. Ruixuan Zhao
Dr. Jing Li
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

  • structure–property relationships
  • conditions of gel formation
  • hydrogels in delivery systems
  • polysaccharide hydrogels
  • gel deterioration caused by food processing methods
  • applications

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 3086 KiB  
Article
Protein–Protein Interactions and Structure of Heat-Set Gels Based on Pea Protein and Egg White Mixtures
by Jian Kuang, Pascaline Hamon, Jeehyun Lee, Said Bouhallab, Eliane Cases, Remi Saurel and Valérie Lechevalier
Gels 2025, 11(3), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11030176 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 532
Abstract
The substitution of animal proteins with plant-based ones to fit environmental and economic demands is a challenge in gel applications. This study examined the thermal elation of mixtures of pea protein isolate (PPI) and egg white proteins (EWPs) at different PPI/EWP weight ratios [...] Read more.
The substitution of animal proteins with plant-based ones to fit environmental and economic demands is a challenge in gel applications. This study examined the thermal elation of mixtures of pea protein isolate (PPI) and egg white proteins (EWPs) at different PPI/EWP weight ratios (100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, 0/100) at pH 7.5 and 9.0. Viscoelastic and texture properties of the composite gels, along with the microstructure and molecular interactions involved in the gel network, were investigated. Except for PPI-EWP 100/0 at pH 9.0, all systems gelled with increasing gel hardness, springiness, and cohesiveness when EWP content increased. This was explained by the microstructure of the gels, wherein the presence of PPI enhanced the formation of aggregates embedded in the EWP network, thus loosening it. The rheological properties of the mixed gels were primarily influenced by the EWP network, involving disulfide bonds. However, upon the addition of PPI, hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions predominated and the structure of the gel became more sensitive to pH as electrostatic repulsions interfered. Adjusting the ratio of PPI/EWP allows the production of gels with varying textures, and suggests the possibility of partially substituting egg white with pea proteins in food gel formulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gels: Structures, Properties and Applications)
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14 pages, 6252 KiB  
Article
Rheological Properties and Physical Stability of Aqueous Dispersions of Flaxseed Fibers
by María-Carmen Alfaro-Rodríguez, María Carmen García, Paula Prieto-Vargas and José Muñoz
Gels 2024, 10(12), 787; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10120787 - 2 Dec 2024
Viewed by 721
Abstract
The main objective of this work is to investigate the influence of shear on the rheological properties and physical stability of aqueous dispersions of flaxseed fiber. The variable to consider will be the homogenization rate in two different rotor-stator homogenizers, Ultraturrax T50 or [...] Read more.
The main objective of this work is to investigate the influence of shear on the rheological properties and physical stability of aqueous dispersions of flaxseed fiber. The variable to consider will be the homogenization rate in two different rotor-stator homogenizers, Ultraturrax T50 or T25. In order to achieve the proposed objective, small amplitude oscillatory tests, flow curves, and multiple light scattering measurements were carried out. All samples exhibited a shear thinning behavior that was not influenced by the shear imposed, and a weak gel-like behavior. The latter, unlike the flow behavior, was sensitive to the homogenization rate. Thus, an increase in this variable caused a decrease in the viscoelastic moduli values. This result pointed out a weakening of the network formed by the flaxseed fiber in an aqueous medium. On the contrary, the physical stability improved. Nevertheless, all samples were highly stable. The homogenizer used was a significant variable. The shear negatively influenced the microstructure of the aqueous flaxseed fiber dispersions, although the obtained gels were highly stable. The gel-like behavior, the high viscosity at low shear rates, and the high physical stability of the samples studied make them interesting food stabilizers and thickeners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gels: Structures, Properties and Applications)
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14 pages, 2109 KiB  
Article
Effect of Freezing Temperature on the Thermal, Rheological, and Gelatinization Properties of Freeze-Thaw-Dehydrated Potato Powder
by Xinyan Duan, Tingting Zhang, Qiannan Liu, Liang Zhang, Wei Liu, Ruixuan Zhao and Honghai Hu
Gels 2024, 10(11), 744; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10110744 - 15 Nov 2024
Viewed by 795
Abstract
To promote the application of freeze-thaw-dehydrated (FTD) potatoes and their gels, this study aimed to investigate the effects of freezing temperature on the physicochemical and gel properties of FTD potato powder and their correlation. The results revealed that, as the freezing temperature decreased, [...] Read more.
To promote the application of freeze-thaw-dehydrated (FTD) potatoes and their gels, this study aimed to investigate the effects of freezing temperature on the physicochemical and gel properties of FTD potato powder and their correlation. The results revealed that, as the freezing temperature decreased, the solubility exhibited an overall downwards trend resulting from soluble solids and amylose liberation. Owing to the better cell integrity at −20 °C, the solubility was greater than that of the other treatment groups. In contrast, the trough viscosity and melting enthalpy increased, and the final viscosity, and setback first increased but then decreased. Regarding the properties of the FTD potato powder gel, the storage modulus, loss modulus, hardness, adhesiveness, chewiness, and consistency first increased but then decreased with decreasing freezing temperature. At a moderate freezing temperature (−20 °C), the solubility and stability of the FTD potato powder were well maintained, and the final viscosity, setback, and hardness reached their highest values. Correlation analysis revealed that, with decreasing freezing temperature, the amount of FTD potato powder initially increased, followed by a decrease in the final viscosity and setback. This trend was positively correlated with the hardness of the FTD potato gel (r = 0.98, r = 0.93). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Gels: Structures, Properties and Applications)
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