A Comparative Evaluation of the Structural and Biomechanical Properties of Food-Grade Biopolymers as Potential Hydrogel Building Blocks

• Published in: Biomedicines Vol. 10; no. 9; p. 2106
• Main Authors: Hilal, Adonis, Florowska, Anna, Florowski, Tomasz, Wroniak, Małgorzata
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.08.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Biomechanics; Biopolymers; Biosensors; Cellulose; Drug delivery systems; Drugs; Food; Food selection; gel matrix; Gellan gum; Hydrogels; Inulin; Maltodextrin; Mechanical properties; microrheology; Particle size; Pharmaceuticals; physical stability; Polymers; polysaccharide; Properties; protein; Proteins; Skin cancer; Sustainability; Tissue engineering; Netherlands; Germany; gel matrix; polysaccharide; physical stability; mechanical properties; microrheology; protein
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10092106

The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative assessment of the structural and biomechanical properties of eight selected food-grade biopolymers (pea protein, wheat protein, gellan gum, konjac gum, inulin, maltodextrin, psyllium, and tara gum) as potential hydrogel building blocks. The prepared samples were investigated in terms of the volumetric gelling index, microrheological parameters, physical stability, and color parameters. Pea protein, gellan gum, konjac gum, and psyllium samples had high VGI values (100%), low solid−liquid balance (SLB < 0.5), and high macroscopic viscosity index (MVI) values (53.50, 59.98, 81.58, and 45.62 nm−2, respectively) in comparison with the samples prepared using wheat protein, maltodextrin, and tara gum (SLB > 0.5, MVI: 13.58, 0.04, and 0.25 nm−2, respectively). Inulin had the highest elasticity index value (31.05 nm−2) and MVI value (590.17 nm−2). The instability index was the lowest in the case of pea protein, gellan gum, konjac gum, and inulin (below 0.02). The color parameters and whiteness index (WI) of each biopolymer differed significantly from one another. Based on the obtained results, pea protein, gellan gum, konjac gum, and psyllium hydrogels had similar structural and biomechanical properties, while inulin hydrogel had the most diverse properties. Wheat protein, maltodextrin, and tara gum did not form a gel structure.