THREE-DIMENSIONAL HYDRATED NETWORKS: AN INTEGRATED ANALYSIS OF THE MECHANICAL AND RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF CARRAGEENAN AND XANTHAN GUM GELS IN MULTICOMPONENT SYSTEMS

Resumen

Hydrocolloids are highly hydrophilic substances that, when dispersed or dissolved in water, increase the viscosity of the system. Chemically, they are polysaccharides (such as gum arabic, xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan, carboxymethylcellulose, starch, and pectin) or proteins. This study investigated the mechanical and rheological properties of binary systems (hydrocolloid + water) and ternary systems (hydrocolloid + protein or sugar + water). Mechanical properties were assessed through texture analysis, while rheological properties were determined by frequency sweep tests under low stress and constant temperature. Average values for force (6.00 N), consistency (60.79 N·s), apparent elastic stress (0.08 N/cm²), and apparent elasticity (0.28 N/cm·s) were obtained for both systems. A 0.3% xanthan gum solution showed predominantly viscous behavior (G'' > G') up to around 10 Hz, beyond which elastic behavior became dominant. The elasticity of xanthan-containing solutions was significantly influenced by sugars and other hydrocolloids. Increasing concentrations of sucrose and ovalbumin enhanced elasticity. Solutions containing carrageenan or xanthan gum tend to become both elastic and viscous as the concentrations of these components increase. It was also observed that the addition of ovalbumin and glucose to carrageenan solutions did not alter their properties, which is a favorable result, as these additives can act as protective agents without compromising the functionality of carrageenan.