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Gels
Special Issues
Preparation, Structure–Property Relationships, and Applications of Emulsion Gels
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Preparation, Structure–Property Relationships, and Applications of Emulsion Gels

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 9137

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Peilong Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
Interests: starch modification; emulsion; soft matter; hydrocolloid
Dr. Tongze Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, and Key Laboratory of Science and Engineering for Health and Medicine of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou 515063, China
Interests: starch; polysaccharides: hydrocolloids; bioactive compounds
Prof. Dr. Saphwan Al-Assaf

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hydrocolloid Research Centre, University of Chester, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK
Interests: hydrocolloids gels; structure-function relationship of hydrocolloids; molecular assemblies; formulations; emulsion technology; encapsulation and radiation chemistry of hydrocolloids
Prof. Dr. Liuping Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, China
Interests: fruit and vegetable vacuum frying and drying technology; storage stability of fried food; quality analysis of frying oil; special fruit and vegetable juice processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emulsion gels represent a unique class of materials that combine the properties of oil-water biphasic systems and gel networks, offering distinct structural and functional attributes. The preparation of emulsion gels often involves interactions between colloidal droplets and gel-forming agents resulting in matrices with semi-solid rheological behavior. Depending on their composition, these systems can serve a variety of applications, such as food structuring agents, delivery vehicles in pharmaceuticals, and components in personal care.

Despite the promising potential of emulsion gels, challenges remain in exploring their structure–property relationships, optimizing their stability, and expanding their application in emerging fields. Understanding the role of interfacial phenomena, gelation kinetics, and the influence of external factors on emulsion gel properties is essential for driving advancements in the field.

The current special issue aims to highlight the latest advancements in the preparation, characterization, and application of emulsion gels. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Exploring gelling agents and their roles in emulsions;
  • Fundamental studies on emulsion gel formation;
  • Understanding the microstructure and its influence on the functional properties;
  • Applications of emulsion gels;
  • Advanced characterization techniques.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit manuscripts to this issue, and contribute to address research gaps, propose novel methodologies, and explore interdisciplinary applications.

Dr. Peilong Li
Dr. Tongze Zhang
Prof. Dr. Saphwan Al-Assaf
Prof. Dr. Liuping Fan
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.

Keywords

  • emulsion
  • gel
  • polymer
  • oil
  • rheology
  • interfacial phenomena
  • microstructure
  • food structuring
  • bioactive delivery

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 8850 KB  
Article
Effect of Pre-Hydrolyzed Rice Extrudates with Different Dextrose Equivalent Values on Stability of Emulsion-Type Food for Special Medical Purposes
by Zilong Ge, Chong Liu, Ping Li, Jiarui Zeng, Xiaojun Tang, Pengfei Zhou, Zhihao Zhao, Yuanyuan Deng and Guang Liu
Gels 2026, 12(2), 166; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12020166 - 14 Feb 2026
Viewed by 510
Abstract
Maltodextrin is the most commonly used carbohydrate ingredient in Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP). However, growing evidence suggests that it may trigger intestinal inflammatory responses. Replacing maltodextrin with pre-hydrolyzed rice extrudates represents a viable approach to eliminate such adverse effects. Accordingly, this [...] Read more.
Maltodextrin is the most commonly used carbohydrate ingredient in Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP). However, growing evidence suggests that it may trigger intestinal inflammatory responses. Replacing maltodextrin with pre-hydrolyzed rice extrudates represents a viable approach to eliminate such adverse effects. Accordingly, this study prepared pre-hydrolyzed rice extrudates with different dextrose equivalent (DE) values and investigated their impact on the physicochemical properties of emulsion-type FMSP containing carbohydrates, casein, and soybean oil with increasing addition levels. The emulsion particle size of pre-hydrolyzed rice extrudates with different DE values showed a gradual upward trend, while the zeta potential gradually decreased. As the DE value increased, its influence on the zeta potential and viscosity of the emulsion diminished. However, samples with lower DE values contributed positively to reducing the centrifugal sedimentation rate of the emulsion, which was mainly attributed to their higher viscosity. In contrast, the turbidity and adsorption rate of emulsion samples with higher DE values were less affected by the addition level. Through turbiscan stability index and multi-index comprehensive evaluation, the optimal addition levels for pre-hydrolyzed rice extrudates with different DE values were obtained. The findings provide important insights for promoting the application of pre-hydrolyzed rice extrudates as a substitute for maltodextrin in FMSP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation, Structure–Property Relationships, and Applications of Emulsion Gels)
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13 pages, 4242 KB  
Article
Comparative Study on the Freeze–Thaw Stability of Sodium Caseinate Emulsion-Filled Konjac Glucomannan/κ-Carrageenan Composite Gels
by Weifeng Chen, Guanchen Wu, Lanlan Zhang, Lihua Zhang, Bakht Ramin Shah and Wei Xu
Gels 2025, 11(12), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11120961 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1176
Abstract
The paper explored the impact of sodium caseinate (CAS) emulsion on the freeze–thaw stability of konjac glucomannan (KGM)/κ-carrageenan (KC) composite gels. It found that the emulsion and KGM both increased the viscoelasticity of the composite gel, giving it a greater elastic stress. Emulsion [...] Read more.
The paper explored the impact of sodium caseinate (CAS) emulsion on the freeze–thaw stability of konjac glucomannan (KGM)/κ-carrageenan (KC) composite gels. It found that the emulsion and KGM both increased the viscoelasticity of the composite gel, giving it a greater elastic stress. Emulsion addition enhanced the water-holding capacity (WHC) of the KC gel from 72.36% to 89.34%. KGM addition further improved WHC to 97.54%. The hardness of the emulsion KGM/KC gel reached 9.35 N, while the values were essentially not affected by freeze–thaw. This study shows that CAS emulsion, especially under the regulation of KGM and KC, can improve the freeze–thaw stability of the gel system. The results show that emulsion has great potential in regulating the physical and textural properties of multiphase gels. The emulsion coupling method could effectively enhance the freeze–thaw stability of gels, which may provide a new strategy for the development of frozen multiphase gel foods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation, Structure–Property Relationships, and Applications of Emulsion Gels)
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18 pages, 3159 KB  
Article
Effects of Transglutaminase and Epigallocatechin Gallate on the Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Fish Skin Gelatin from Takifugu rubripes
by Lingyu Han, Yulong Zhang, Bing Hu, Ying Zhang, Jijuan Cao, Jixin Yang and Saphwan Al-Assaf
Gels 2025, 11(9), 725; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11090725 - 11 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1271
Abstract
Fish skin gelatin (FG) has garnered considerable attention as a potential substitute for mammalian gelatin. In this study, Takifugu rubripes skin gelatin was chemically modified using transglutaminase (TG) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Subsequently, the rheological, structural, and physicochemical properties of FG modified with [...] Read more.
Fish skin gelatin (FG) has garnered considerable attention as a potential substitute for mammalian gelatin. In this study, Takifugu rubripes skin gelatin was chemically modified using transglutaminase (TG) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Subsequently, the rheological, structural, and physicochemical properties of FG modified with varying concentrations of TG and EGCG were systematically examined and compared. As the concentrations of TG and EGCG increased, more extensive interactions occurred in FG, leading to a significant enhancement of gelatin properties. Following modification, the molecular weight of FG proteins increased, and this was accompanied by enhanced surface hydrophobicity and gel strength. Rheological analysis further demonstrated that the viscosity of FG modified with TG and EGCG was higher than that of unmodified FG and was positively correlated with the treatment concentrations of TG and EGCG. Additionally, the results indicated that the effect of TG modification was more pronounced than that of EGCG modification. Overall, this study demonstrates that both TG and EGCG modifications can effectively overcome the inherent limitations of fish skin gelatin, with TG showing superior efficiency as a cross-linking agent. The enhanced thermal stability, gel strength, and rheological properties achieved through these interactions significantly expand the potential applications of fish gelatin in the food industry, making it a more viable alternative to mammalian gelatin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation, Structure–Property Relationships, and Applications of Emulsion Gels)
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Review

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24 pages, 4225 KB  
Review
Recent Advances in Plant-Based Emulsion Gels: Preparation, Characterization, Applications, and Future Perspectives
by Yunfei Huang, Chunmei Li and David Julian McClements
Gels 2025, 11(8), 641; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11080641 - 13 Aug 2025
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5435
Abstract
Plant-based foods have emerged as a major focus of the modern food industry as it tries to create more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and healthy products. Plant-based emulsion gels (PBEGs) can be used to provide valuable structures, textures, and functions in many plant-based food [...] Read more.
Plant-based foods have emerged as a major focus of the modern food industry as it tries to create more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and healthy products. Plant-based emulsion gels (PBEGs) can be used to provide valuable structures, textures, and functions in many plant-based food applications. For instance, they can be used as a matrix to form semi-solid plant-based meat, fish, egg, or dairy analogs, delivery systems for bioactive compounds in functional foods, and edible inks in 3D food printing. The most common PBEGs used in the food industry consist of oil droplets embedded within an aqueous phase containing a biopolymer network. However, PBEGs may also be formed from high-internal-phase emulsions (HIPEs) or aggregated emulsions. PBEGs combine the benefits of emulsions and gels, such as the ability to encapsulate both polar and non-polar functional ingredients, as well as to create desirable textural attributes. This review summarizes recent advances (2017–2025) in the development and application of PBEGs in the food sector, with a focus on their preparation methods, characterization techniques, and potential applications. The future perspectives and challenges associated with PBEGs are also discussed. Overall, this review provides a useful platform for directing future research efforts and for the practical implementation of PBEGs in plant-based food systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Preparation, Structure–Property Relationships, and Applications of Emulsion Gels)
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