Fabrication and characterization of alginate-zein core-shell microcapsules for controlled release of buckwheat honey.

In this study, extrusion method was employed to fabricate alginate-zein core-shell microcapsules loaded with buckwheat honey by dropping alginate and buckwheat honey mixture solution into a 70.0 % zein ethanol solution(v/v) containing 5.0 % CaCl solution (wt%).

Gelation behavior and mechanism of alginate with calcium: Dependence on monovalent counterions.

The present work investigates the calcium-induced gelation behavior and gel properties of alginate samples of lithium-, sodium-, and potassium-forms. It was found that the effect of the alkali metal counterions varied greatly with the calcium concentration regime, namely, the molar ratio of calcium to guluronate (R = Ca/G). Four different regions were identified, including R < 0.

Ions-induced gelation of alginate: Mechanisms and applications.

Alginate is an important natural biopolymer and has been widely used in the food, biomedical, and chemical industries. Ca-induced gelation is one of the most important functional properties of alginate. The gelation mechanism is well-known as egg-box model, which has been intensively studied in the last five decades.