Paper Number
GG55
Session
Rheology of Gels, Glasses and Jammed Systems
Title
“Green” jellies: Replacing gelatin with k-carrageenan
Presentation Date and Time
October 13, 2022 (Thursday) 9:45
Track / Room
Track 3 / Sheraton 5
Authors
- Avallone, Pietro Renato (DICMaPI, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II)
- Russo Spena, Simona (DICMaPI, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II)
- Grizzuti, Nino (University of Naples Federico II, Chemical, Materials and Industrial Production Engineering)
- Pasquino, Rossana (DICMaPI, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II)
Author and Affiliation Lines
Pietro Renato Avallone, Simona Russo Spena, Nino Grizzuti and Rossana Pasquino
DICMaPI, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
Speaker / Presenter
Pasquino, Rossana
Keywords
experimental methods; food rheology; gels; rheometry techniques
Text of Abstract
Hydrocolloids are defined as long-chain bio-polymers which can form viscous solution and gels when dissolved in water. They can be extracted from animals, seaweeds and trees or they are obtained as products from fermentations. They contain many hydroxyl groups, which guarantee their hydrophilicity, and consequent solubility in water. The most used hydrocolloids in food undergo a gelation process. This feature is employed in food industry to confer consistency and texture to the final product. Hydrocolloid’s gelation can involve a structure hierarchy, among which, at the basis of the 3D-network, the aggregation of primary inter-chain linkages into junctions is included. Biopolymers as gelatin, agar and k-carrageenan undergo a cold-set gelation, i.e. they become gels with decreasing temperature. The challenge of finding valid alternatives to animal products has recently become a crucial issue for both ethical and environmental reasons. In jellies, for example, the main ingredient which guarantees the typical chewy texture is gelatin, which is obtained from pig and/or bovine skin and bones. In view of the above, the current study aims to find a hydrogel of vegetable origin that could replace in an efficient way the gelatin in jellies formulations. k-carrageenan can be considered as a good candidate to substitute gelatin, due to its affordability and similar thermoreversibility. We studied the thermorheological behaviour of k-carrageenan at various concentrations in water, by tuning PH. We carefully compared the experimental data with the data obtained with gelatin solutions, trying to find similarities and differences. Among the others, we selected a concentration of k-carragenaan at 1.5% in water, which presents a melting temperature close to the gelatin solution used in formulations. We also investigated the possibility of mixing k-carrageenan with xanthan gum, to match the viscoelasticity and the transition temperatures (gelation & melting) of the gelatin-based solutions.