Microfluidic production of monodisperse biopolymer particles with reproducible morphology by kinetic control
Journal article, 2012

Microdroplets of phase separating and gelling gelatin-maltodextrin mixtures were produced by a microfluidic technique. The microstructures observed inside the gelled particles were highly reproducible. This resulted from both the controlled production of monodisperse droplets in a microfluidic device and the tuning of gelation and phase separation kinetics. We showed that the internal particle microstructure can be tailored by varying the cooling rate (90 degrees C/min, 55 degrees C/min, 5 degrees C/min), the biopolymer composition (4% gelatin and 6%-7.3% maltodextrin) and the gelatin type (lime hide, pig skin). The particles were analyzed using confocal scanning laser microscopy and image analysis. Microstructures with smaller domain sizes were formed at the fastest cooling rate (90 degrees C/min), and microstructures with large domain sizes were obtained at the slowest cooling rate (5 degrees C/min). Furthermore, differences in particle morphology were observed at this slowest cooling rate. In particles containing pig skin gelatin, maltodextrin was located in the core, whereas gelatin was present at the water-oil interface. The opposite was observed for particles consisting of lime hide gelatin where the maltodextrin was found toward the oil phase. The results also showed that a higher concentration of maltodextrin formed larger bicontinuous microstructures compared to the ones obtained with lower concentrations.

microcapsules

gelatin/maltodextrin mixtures

Microfluidic

delivery

microparticles

device

flow

Gelation

Phase separation

Microparticles

phase-separation

droplets

t-junction

gelatin

Author

Sophia Wassén

Applied Surface Chemistry

SIK – the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology

E. Rondeau

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH)

Kristin Sott

Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering Design

SuMo Biomaterials

Niklas Lorén

SuMo Biomaterials

Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Applied Surface Chemistry

P. Fischer

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETH)

Anne-Marie Hermansson

Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Applied Surface Chemistry

SuMo Biomaterials

Food Hydrocolloids

0268-005X (ISSN)

Vol. 28 1 20-27

Subject Categories

Chemical Sciences

DOI

10.1016/j.foodhyd.2011.11.004

More information

Latest update

8/18/2020