The Effect of Hydrocolloids on Penetration Tests and Syneresis of Binary Gum Gels and Modified Corn Starch–Gum Gels

The interactions among agar, gellan gum, gelatin, and modified waxy corn starch in the formation of mixed gels were examined in five different ratios. Binary hydrocolloid gels were prepared using three ingredients: two hydrocolloids (total hydrocolloid concentration: 0.5 wt%, ratios of mixture: 0/0.5, 0.1/0.4, 0.2/0.3, 0.3/0.2, 0.4/0.1, and 0.5/0) and water. The textural properties of the hydrocolloid gels were studied by measuring the gel strength, rigidity, breaking force, breaking point, and syneresis as functions of the mixing ratio. The higher syneresis percentage of binary modified waxy corn starch and gum gels than that of mixed gum gels after cold storage was mainly due to the retrogradation of amylopectin. Agar was shown be the most influential with regards to increasing the gel strength, breaking force, and rigidity among the three kinds of gum, while gellan gum was more effective against syneresis than agar and gelatin for storage periods of 7 and 14 days. In the mixed gels, a dramatic increase in the breaking point from 0 to 0.5% was only exhibited for gellan gum. The results provided useful information, including gel strength, rigidity, breaking force, breaking point, and syneresis, for gum and modified corn starch ingredients selected from refrigerated binary gum gels such as pudding for food product development.