Architecting food gummies with hybrid carrageenans: Viscoelastic and structural properties

• Author(s): Monteiro, Maria Alice Freitas ; Faria, Bruno ; Moraes, Izabel Cristina Freitas ; Valencia, German Ayala ; Hilliou, L.
• Date: 2025
• Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/97955
• Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English
• Contributor(s): Universidade do Minho

Description

This study provides a comprehensive comparison of the thermal-rheological properties of hybrid carrageenans (κ and ι) and commercial κ/ι carrageenan blends (κ + ι), focusing on their application in gummy candy production. Hybrid carrageenans (six types, untreated and treated C, F, and J) successfully produced gel-like textures and demonstrated their potential as an alternative to commercial carrageenan blend systems. Additionally, the incorporation of a novel natural colorant composed of anthocyanins and bentonite was tested in the gummy formulation. The natural colorant dispersed well in both hybrid and commercial carrageenan-based gummies. Melting gummies did not have a sol-gel transition (Tsol–gel) because of the high elasticity of the systems and all gummies had a solid-like behavior (G’ >G’’) independent of frequency after gelation. The incorporation of BH acted as a reinforced agent into the gummy matrix. Overall, hybrid carrageenans structured gummy candies with comparable rheological response to those manufactured using commercial κ/ι carrageenan blends, highlighting their potential for food applications.