Structural properties of cottonii seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) gels in the presence of coconut milk

• Published in: Food hydrocolloids Vol. 145; p. 109087
• Main Authors: Yuliarti, Oni, Sentana, Aan Dwi, Ong, Chen Yu, Abdol Rahim Yassin, Zakyyah, Ng, Lisa, Koh, Wen Min
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2023
• Subjects: Coconut milk; Composition; cottonii seaweeds; Gels; Rheology; Structure; Composition; Coconut milk; Gels; Structure; Rheology; cottonii seaweeds
• ISSN: 0268-005X; 1873-7137
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2023.109087

In this study, Indonesian dried cottonii seaweed was evaluated for the physicochemical and gelation properties. The non-starch polysaccharide is mainly composed of galactose (∼21% w/w) with sulfate groups as the functional group. The effect of salt types (KCl, CaCl2, NaCl) and also coconut milk (CM) with different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0% w/w) on the gel textural and rheological properties of seaweed gels were investigated. The results revealed that addition of KCl formed the strongest and most cohesive gel network due to it was able to promote the formation of adjacent double helixes of κ-carrageenan through electrostatic interactions of two adjacent sulfate groups. Addition of CM appeared to enhance the gel elastic and gel temperature properties during cooling from 96 to 5 °C, with 0.25% w/w as the optimum concentration. More importantly, the gel syneresis reduced significantly (p < 0.05) with CM incorporation. The gel microstructure indicated that the gel network was more compact in the presence of CM, which further verified the increase in gel elasticity. This study suggests that combination of KCl and CM have potential applications in development cottonii-seaweed pudding gels.
[Display omitted]
•Addition of KCl formed the strongest and most cohesive network of cottonii seaweed gel.•Potassium ions could impact the temperature dependency of cottonii seaweed gel.•Coconut milk could improve the gel strength of the cottonii cottonii seaweed gel.•Alteration of gel structure by addition of coconut milk resulted in syneresis reduction.