Physical Properties of Mixed Gels of Curdlan with Some Polysaccharids

Abstract

To investigate a new possible usage of curdlan as a food ingredient, several gels which contain some other polysaccharides were compared their physical property each other. As increasing concentration of curdlan, than syneresis of the gel decreased.
The syneresis of gels suppressed by mixture of carrageenan or xanthangum. The rupture energies of pure curdlan gel and of carragenan gel were high. While, the rupture stress, rupture strain and rupture energy were decreased when these two saccharides were mixed with curdlan.
Observing the scanning electron micrographs, the dense network structure of curdlan gel became rough when carrageenan was added. When xanthan gum was mixed to curdlan, the elementary fibril structure of gel was found to be random. The change of physical properties of curdlan gel observed would be characterized by the change of the curdlan gel structure.