Hydrogel with the network structure fabricated by anthocyanin–gelatin crosslinking and improved mineral encapsulation ability

Abstract

Summary In this study, four polyphenols (tea polyphenol, procyanidin, anthocyanin and gallic acid) were applied to crosslink with gelatin (G), in order to explore the crosslinking mechanisms of polyphenol–gelatin hydrogels with desirable properties and its potential applications. The results showed that the crosslinking effect of polyphenols with gelatin was affected by pH and the types and concentration of polyphenols. The network of polyphenol–gelatin on the microscopic level was ordered with 0.075% polyphenol (anthocyanin, tea polyphenol and procyanidin). The polyphenol–gelatin hydrogel exhibited the highest system stability and the best freeze‐dried network structure at pH 8. According to the results of circular dichroism (CD), ultraviolet (UV), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), both the solutions and freeze‐dried samples of polyphenol–gelatin under optimised conditions showed more ordered microstructure than pure gelatin. The addition of polyphenols posted significant impacts on changed the secondary structure of polyphenol–gelatin complexes. Also, the anthocyanin–gelatin hydrogel generally showed the higher encapsulation efficiency than pure gelatin and other polyphenol–gelatin samples, of which the highest mineral loading capacity (Mg, Mn and Cu) was 7.04% higher than that of pure gelatin, where anthocyanin acted as a crosslinker under alkaline condition that greatly improved the microstructure, stability and nutrition encapsulation efficiency of gelatin.

Gallic acid: design of a pyrogallol-containing hydrogel and its biomedical applications

“…13 Although the incorporation of GA can endow a hydrogel system with better mechanical strength and energy dissipation capabilities, importantly, when the concentration ratio of GA to polymer exceeds a certain threshold, the resulting excessive and uneven polymerization can lead to increased brittleness of the gel network system. 54,82 For instance, with increasing GA and Zn 2+ contents, the elastic modulus and toughness of PVA/ PAM/GA-Zn 2+ hydrogels increased first and then decreased. 80 In hydrogels formed by GA and proteins, excess polyphenols aggregate with proteins, thereby impacting gelation.…”

“…They found that the formation of the hydrogel is closely related to the concentration of GA and the pH. Studies have indicated that at a pH of 8 and a polyphenol concentration of 0.075%, 82 the hydrogel network is most stable. Additionally, another study showed that GA-gelatin hydrogels can promote the proliferation of dental pulp stem cells, demonstrating their potential application in tissue regeneration.…”

Effect of sorbitol on stabilisation of gardenia blue and food 2D/3D printing

“…Gelatin (Ge) is a biocompatible, biodegradable polymer that can be obtained by partial hydrolysis of collagen (Chen et al ., 2022), which can be dissolved in water under appropriate circumstances to form a solution with different viscosity. The natural attributes, edibility, low cost, rich sources, safety, and environmentally friendly characteristics (Rather et al ., 2022) could make gelatin‐based products an ideal carrier or stabiliser for many bioactive compounds (Usman et al ., 2022).…”