Physical and functional properties of plant-based pre-emulsified chewable gels for the oral delivery of nutraceuticals.

Gelatin-based pre-emulsified chewable gels have presented advantages over traditional tablets, bulk oils, hard and soft capsules for oral delivery. Ethical, ecological, and religious considerations have increased the demand for plant-based gelling agents which can be formulated into chewable emulsion gels. Plant-based polysaccharide emulsion gels prepared with agar and pectin were compared to gelatin emulsion gels regarding rheological, textural, and functional properties. The agar emulsion gel had higher gelling/melting temperatures (_Tg: 40°C, _Tm: 90°C) than the gelatin emulsion gel (_Tg: 37°C, _Tm: 45°C), whereas pectin emulsion gel had a more similar gelling/melting profile to the gelatin formulation (_Tg: 38°C, _Tm: 54°C). Texture analyses revealed that the agar emulsion gel had a harder and more brittle texture, whereas pectin emulsion gel had a softer texture than the gelatin emulsion gel. Pectin emulsion gels had the largest average droplet size (32μm), followed by agar...