Interpenetrating network gels with tunable physical properties: Glucono-δ-lactone induced gelation of mixed Alg/gellan sol systems

In this study, a class of interpenetrating network (IPN) gels were successfully fabricated based on glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) induced gelation of mixed alginate (Alg) and deacylated gellan (gellan) systems. The IPN gels were prepared by co-hydrating a mixed Alg and gellan powder, followed by adding GDL and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in sequence to initiate the gelation. It was found that Alg and gellan can form independently a gel network, with no significant interaction between the two types of gel networks observed, as indicated by the results of gel strength determination, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) analyses. Moreover, the mixing ratio of Alg to gellan significantly affected the physical properties of the fabricated gels. With increasing Alg to gellan ratio, the gels tended to become more elastic, and to show a higher rehydration rate and rehydration extent. Overall, these tunable properties may allow the fabricated gels to find potential applications in designing or optimizing the structures of gel-related food products.