Strain-hardening properties of physical weak gels of biopolymers

Weak gels of biopolymers are frequently used in food applications. Dynamic rheological measurements, performed at low strain in the linear domain are useful to characterize the network properties, e.g. gelation, ageing and mechanical recovery after shearing. However, the rupture properties of these gels are also of great interest to complete their characterization. Several weak gels containing carrageenan, xanthan–locust bean gum, pectin or alginate–pectin were investigated. The behaviour of these gels under large strain was studied either in dynamic mode or under constant low shear rate conditions. In many cases, a strain-hardening behaviour was observed: above the upper limit of the linear domain, the stress increased more than proportionally to the strain. A good agreement in stress–strain variations was observed between the results from dynamic and constant shear rate modes. This hardening effect, generally associated with a large deformability, gave to these gels a large resistance to rupture, with regards to their modulus. This can be related to the functionality of the biopolymer systems in terms of texture or suspension properties. As an example, in fluid gels, it allows the suspension of particles with a very weak network (typically a modulus of 1 Pa).