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Calcium β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (CaHMB), a functional calcium salt, is used to maintain and improve muscle health. Here, a new hydrogel material prepared from alginate (ALG) with three M/G ratios (1:1, 2:1, and 1:2) and CaHMB (0-2 mg/mL) was investigated. CaHMB regulates the formation and properties of ALG hydrogels through chelation and hydrogen bonding. When the M/G ratio was 2:1, the anionic groups of CaHMB containing carboxyl and hydroxyl groups formed hydrogen bonds with the polysaccharide chains, hindering the capture of Ca 2+ by the G-residue fragments of ALG, which in turn retarded the gelation process. The noncalcium cross-linked polysaccharide chain structure of ALG and the anionic group of CaHMB also affected the water distribution in the hydrogel, especially when M residue content ≥G residue content. Lower M/G ratios and higher CaHMB concentrations could increase the number of "egg box" crosslinking junctions of calcium alginate, and the microstructure was denser in the gel pores, resulting in a stronger gel strength and more free water bound in the gel matrix. This study provides a theoretical and methodological basis for the design of novel hydrogels by studying the crosslinking features of ALG/CaHMB., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

To develop composite hydrogels based on low acyl gellan gum (GG), the effect of puerarin (PUE) on the gel properties of GG was investigated. The results showed that the maximum storage modulus (G') of the 1.2 % GG/0.8 % PUE composite hydrogel was 377.4 Pa at 0.1 Hz, which was enhanced by 4.7-fold compared with that of 1.2 % GG. The melting temperature of this composite hydrogel increased from 74.1 °C to >80.0 °C. LF-NMR results showed that a significant amount of free water was present in the hydrogel matrix. The surface structure aggregation and the shrinkage of the honeycomb meshes in the composite hydrogel proved the cross-linking of PUE and GG. XRD, FTIR and molecular simulation results illustrated that hydrogen bonds were the most important factor controlling the interaction between GG and PUE. Thus, the GG/PUE composite hydrogel has good elasticity, thermal stability and water retention, which lays a good foundation for further application in the food industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

[Display omitted] • -KC hydrogel beads with more SMGHs can increase Cur load due to tight cross-linking. • -Modified FTIR and amorphous structure in SMGHs/KC/KCl prove successful Cur embedment. • -SMGHs/KC/KCl-Cur hydrogel beads have heterogeneous networks with backbone and voids. • -SMGHs/KC/KCl hydrogel beads perform as effective colon-targeting Cur delivery system. • -SMGHs/KC/KCl hydrogel beads promise Cur preservation above 90% during 30 day at 4 °C. Scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonad hydrolysates (SMGHs)/ κ -carrageenan (KC)/KCl beads with SMGHs:KC ratios (0:10–5:5) were investigated. SMGHs/KC/KCl-Cur bead (5:5) exhibited the most intact spherical morphology and highest Cur loading content of 0.063 mg/0.1 g bead, ascribing to a shortened T 23 from 1607.9 to 966.4 ms, and red and blueshifts of O H, NH, amide I and II bands. The undetected fingerprint region within 7.82°-28.90° of SMGHs/KC/KCl-Cur beads indicated successful Cur entrapment. Moreover, SMGHs/KC/KCl-Cur beads exhibited shrinkage network backbones and larger void pores as SMGHs increased, with vessel percentage area, total number of junctions, total vessel length decreasing from 52.1, 1446.8, 57931.4 to 39.7, 530.5, 34458.4, and lacunarity increasing from 0.048 to 0.111, respectively. Furthermore, Cur showed approximately 50% release contents in colon phase and above 90% retention rate during 30 days of storage at 4 °C. These results suggested that SMGHs/KC/KCl-Cur beads exhibited sustained-release of Cur and promised stable Cur preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]