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Updated: Sep 30, 2025
Generation of Alginate Microspheres for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 12, 2012
Customization of liquid-core sodium alginate beads by molecular engineering
Md Nazmus Saqib1, Shabbir Ahammed1, Fei Liu1
1State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; International Joint Laboratory for Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Abstract:
Detailed alginate molecular structural factors that modulated the texture of liquid core alginate beads were investigated. Under the same CaCl2 concentration and contacting time, a higher bursting force can be generated from both high Mw and low M/G alginate beads. G-block took part in faster dimerization, producing a compact gel network and long chains providing an elastic response generated by interchain interaction. Within same bursting force, high Mw beads were elastic than high G ones. Shorter chain length and higher M residue allowed more water to trap in the gel network, causing accretion in thickness and downed gel strength. The lowest shell thickness (0.11±0.01mm) was measured from the highest Mw and M/G sample, while the thickest (0.78±0.08mm) was from the lowest Mw and M/G alginate. The beads became brittle with a shortened chain length. Thus, alginate-based food products with a desired textural profile can be designed by varying alginate structures.
