High-pressure microjet-assisted fabrication of sanxan-microalgae composite hydrogels with modified rheological and...

The integration of advanced processing technologies with emerging bioresources holds substantial potential for innovation in food science and biomaterials engineering. This study utilized high-pressure microjet homogenization (80 MPa, 5 cycles) to fabricate multifunctional composite hydrogels via an innovative formulation strategy combining sanxan polysaccharide with the microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (SCrs). Thermodynamic and rheological characterisations revealed that the optimised SCrF (2% sanxan and 6% Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Group) hydrogel exhibited a relatively low activation energy (41.58 kJ·mol^-1), indicative of enhanced molecular mobility. Additionally, the SCrC (1% sanxan and 6% Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Group) hydrogel demonstrated a 34.7% improvement in structural recovery rate compared to the reference gel at the same concentration (52.64%), achieving a recovery rate of 70.91%. The composite hydrogels retained the intrinsic thermal stability and freeze-thaw resistance of the native polysaccharide matrix. The physicochemical analyses confirmed that the composite system integrates ‌superior‌ processability with pronounced notable self-recovery behaviour. These findings provide a ‌ theoretical foundation for the development of next-generation food systems, sustainable manufacturing processes, scalable delivery platforms for active compounds, and innovative scaffolds for biomedical applications.