Abstract
The term "gel" comes under the subject of colloidal science and has been defined in the Polymer Dictionary as "polymers and their swollen matters with three-dimensional network structures that are insoluble in any solvent." However, it is also true that there is still no generally adopted definition of this term. A more simplified definition is "a gel is an intermediate between a solid and liquid possessing both elastic (solid) and viscous (liquid) characteristics." It exhibits flexible behavior (similar to a solid) and gets distorted on applying pressure, but recovers to its actual shape after removal of the stress as distortion has left the bonds between the particles integral. A gel also shows viscous properties as part of the deformation is not recovered after the stress is removed and the gel flows since the bonds are broken and new bonds are formed, as in a liquid when force is applied.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Advances in Food Rheology and Its Applications |
Publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
Pages | 335-353 |
Number of pages | 19 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780081004326 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780081004319 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Biopolymers
- Gelation mechanisms
- Microrheology
- Polysaccharide gels
- Protein gels
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Engineering
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences