Production, Properties and Swelling of Composite Pectic-Gel Particles in an Artificial Gastric Environment

The purpose of the present work was to obtain and study the properties of composite calcium-pectic gel particles (CaPGPs) obtained from aqueous solutions of apple pectin (AP) in the concentration of 2% and pectin heracleuman (HS) in the concentration of 3% in the presence of Ca2+ ions (0.34 M). The swelling of the obtained CaPGPs in an artificial gastric environment was also investigated. Methods and Results: We used commercial AP AU701 (AP, Herbstreith & Fox KG, Germany) and HP isolated from the aerial part of the Sosnovskyi hogweed Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. Composite CaPGPs were obtained from aqueous solutions of AP (2%) and HS (3%) in the presence of Ca2+ ions (0.34 M) by the method of ionotropic gelation. The diameter and density of CaPGPs were determined. Dry gel particles from 2% AP were larger (1.18±0.19 mm) than dry gel particles from 3% HS (1.04±0.07 mm) and dry composite gel particles (1.01±0.06 mm). However, dry composite gel particles and dry gel particles from HS were approximately 3 times denser than dry gel particles from AP. Composite CaPGPs swelled by 74.2% in simulated gastric fluid (SGF). The degree of swelling in SGF of CaPGPs formed from HS was 15.6% lower, and CaPGPs formed from AP –52.2%.