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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

A Freeze-Thawing Method to Prepare Chitosan-Polyvinyl alcohol Hydrogels Without Crosslinking Agents and Diflunisal Release Studies
Published on: January 14, 2020
Chitosan/gelatin composite gel as a cost-effective and efficient adsorbent to remove high-molecular-weight invert
Tongxin Gao1, Congi Cui2, Dong Li2
1College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, China Agricultural University, P.O. Box 50, 17 Qinghua Donglu, Beijing 100083, China.
Abstract:
The removal of high-molecular-weight invert sugar alkaline degradation products (HISADPs), key colorants in sugar refining, remains a challenge due to the lack of cost-effective and efficient adsorbents. To address this, a chitosan/gelatin (CS/G) composite gel was developed using a one-step chemical cross-linking method followed by freeze-drying. The CS/G composite gel exhibited a porous structure, good thermal stability, and a high swelling ratio. Swelling and adsorption experiments showed that gelatin ensured structural integrity, while chitosan promoted adsorption. Specifically, the optimal composite gel (with 5 % gelatin and 0.75 % chitosan) achieved a maximum HISADPs adsorption capacity of 285.33 mg/g. It also maintained structural integrity over five regeneration cycles. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order model and the Sips model. The adsorption was primarily driven by electrostatic interactions. The CS/G composite gel is demonstrated to be a cost-effective and efficient adsorbent, offering a promising strategy for decolorization in the sugar industry.
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