Sun Wanyi, Lu Qiuyu, Chen Jiajing, Fan Xinxin, Zhan Shengnan, Yang Wenge, Huang Tao, Li Fulai
Zhejiang-Malaysia Joint Research Laboratory for Agricultural Product Processing and Nutrition, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
Foods. 2025 Jul 26;14(15):2631. doi: 10.3390/foods14152631.
This study systematically evaluated the effects of pH (4-10) on the gelation properties, structural characteristics, and in vitro digestion-fermentation behavior of fish gelatin (FG, 6% (/)) hydrogels combined with either xanthan gum (XG, 0.07% (/)) or κ-carrageenan (κC, 0.07% (/)). The results revealed that the gel strength, hardness, and chewiness of the composite gels initially increased (pH 4-6) and subsequently decreased with rising pH levels. This trend correlated with the formation of a dense gel network structure. Furthermore, as pH increased, in vitro digestibility showed a similar pH-dependent trend, with FG-XG demonstrating superior enhancement compared to FG-κC. The addition of XG and κC resulted in increased gas production and a decreased pH during fermentation. Intestinal microbiota analysis revealed that both FG-XG and FG-κC improved the abundances of and while reducing . Compared to FG-XG and FG, FG-κC promoted higher levels of the genera and , suggesting a more favorable impact on intestinal health. These findings provide valuable insights into the pH-responsive functional properties of FG-based hydrogels and their potential applications in designing novel food matrices with enhanced nutritional and probiotic attributes.
本研究系统评估了pH值（4 - 10）对鱼明胶（FG，6%（/））水凝胶与黄原胶（XG，0.07%（/））或κ-卡拉胶（κC，0.07%（/））组合后的凝胶特性、结构特征以及体外消化发酵行为的影响。结果表明，复合凝胶的凝胶强度、硬度和咀嚼性最初随pH值升高（pH 4 - 6）而增加，随后随pH值进一步升高而降低。这一趋势与致密凝胶网络结构的形成相关。此外，随着pH值升高，体外消化率呈现出类似的pH依赖性趋势，其中FG - XG相比FG - κC表现出更优的增强效果。XG和κC的添加导致发酵过程中产气量增加且pH值降低。肠道微生物群分析表明，FG - XG和FG - κC均提高了[具体微生物名称1]和[具体微生物名称2]的丰度，同时降低了[具体微生物名称3]的丰度。与FG - XG和FG相比，FG - κC促进了[具体微生物属名称1]和[具体微生物属名称2]的更高水平，表明对肠道健康有更有利的影响。这些发现为基于FG的水凝胶的pH响应功能特性及其在设计具有增强营养和益生菌特性的新型食品基质中的潜在应用提供了有价值的见解。
