The Size Stability of Alginate Beads by Different Ionic Crosslinkers

Few studies have discussed the stability of gelled alginate bead size. Therefore, the present study investigated the dynamic shrinkage of gelled alginate beads affected by two common ionic crosslinkers at different concentrations and temperatures. Theresults indicate that the gelled alginate beads gradually shrank with longer gelling times. The beads incubated in a Ca2+ solution shrank more dramatically than those incubated in a Ba2+ solution. Those incubated at room temperature exhibited greater shrinkage than those incubated at a low temperature. A 25% size reduction occurred in the 1% Ca2+ solution at room temperature after 300 minutes of gelling time. The alginate beads gelled took at least 120 minutes to become stable after the ionic gelation process.