Abstract
This research aimed to analyze the viscoelastic behavior of mixed hydrogels based on low methoxyl citrus pectin (DE = 30.4%) and low acyl gellan, in the presence of calcium ions to assess the effect of each polysaccharide on the gelation and relaxation processes of the mixed systems. Linear viscoelastic properties were determined, and the experimental data were used to fit the generalized Maxwell model to obtain the hydrogels' relaxation times and average network mesh size. In most mixed gels, the co-gelification of gellan and pectin provided more rigid hydrogels characterized by narrow meshes (6.1–11.7 nm) and slower rearrangements of polymer chains (relaxation times (λ) between 16.7 and 55.2 s) compared to gellan gels (λ = 18.4–29.3 s). The viscoelastic behavior of the pectin-gellan gels suggests a macromolecular network organization where gellan junction zones predominate, and pectin contributes to reinforcing the mixed network. That organization generates more macromolecular interactions via calcium bridges and hydrogen bonds, promoted by the accessibility of anionic sites in both biopolymers and the low extent of branching (7 mol%) of pectin. The rheological analysis provides a new understanding concerning the hybrid pectin-gellan networks, which can be used to design new natural hydrogels for diverse applications such as biocompatible biomaterials and delivery vehicles.
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