Abstract
The advantages of starch-carrageenan gel systems have been demonstrated in numerous applications. The exploitation of this functional synergism could provide improvements in the textural properties of a pharmaceutical suspension when prepared employing a combination of the two polymers rather than use of either one alone. This study characterized the influence of kappa-carrageenan (C) on the textural properties of sodium starch glycolate (SSG) through analysis of the textural profiles following force-displacement testing. The effect of gel-inducing or gel-strengthening cations on the textural behavior of SSG-C gel systems was also elucidated. The determination of the rate of gelation, as well as the final viscosity of the SSG-C systems was conducted and correlated with the textural properties of the systems. The presence of C in the gel systems significantly increased several textural properties, such as, compressibility (p 0.002), adhesivity (p 0.001) and the final viscosity (p 0.021) of the gels. These properties can be exploited through C’s function as a suspending and gelling agent to improve the textural and gel-forming properties of soluble starches, such as, SSG through the establishment of a three-dimensional gel network. Because of the availability of sodium ions in SSG, its combination with C may confer the additional advantage of promoting helix formation and gelation. Neither the presence of gel-inducing nor gel-strengthening cations significantly improved the textural properties of the gel systems (p 0.050). The resultant systems, particularly those incorporating the gel-inducing potassium cation, had a heterogenous consistency; they were dense, turbid gels exhibiting water expulsion or syneresis.
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