The application of hydrocolloid gel particles is potentially useful in food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Alginate gel particles are one of the more commonly used hydrocolloid gel particles due to them being biocompatible, nontoxic, biodegradable, cheap, and simple to produce. They are particularly valued for their application in encapsulation. Encapsulation in alginate gel particles confers protective benefits to cells, DNA, nutrients, and microbes. Slow release of flavors, minerals, and drugs can also be achieved by encapsulation in gel particles. The particle size and shape of the gel particles are crucial for specific applications. In this review, current methods of producing alginate gel particles will be discussed, taking into account their advantages, disadvantages, scalability, and impact on particle size. The physical properties of alginate gel particles will determine the effectiveness in different application conditions. This review will cover the current understanding of the alginate biopolymer, gelation mechanisms and factors affecting release properties, gel strength, and rheology of the alginate gel particle systems.
Emulsion filled polysaccharide gels can be used as carrier systems of lipophilic bioactives in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry. This carrier system can exist either as bulk or discrete gel systems. In this study the rheological properties of discrete emulsion filled alginate microgel suspension was examined as a function of volume fraction () and oil content. Fine emulsion (220 nm) was encapsulated within alginate microgels (mean size 36.2-57.8 m) by using the impinging aerosol technique. The microgels (containing 0-77% w/w oil total solids basis) produced were estimated to have particle modulus in the range of 150-212Pa. An increase in oil content in the microgels led to more deformable microgels due to the reduction in gel density. The deformability of microgels influenced the bulk modulus and apparent viscosity of the concentrated suspension. At the same suspension volume fraction (), suspensions with more deformable microgels exhibited a lower bulk modulus. We also showed that the Carreau and Cross models were adequate in predicting the flow behaviour of the concentrated emulsion filled microgel suspension.
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