ICE STRUCTURE SIZE IN FROZEN AGAR GELS ANALYZED BY MERCURY POROSIMETRY

Ice structure size in agar gel frozen by one-dimensional freezing was analyzed by mercury porosimetry. The mercury porosimetry for measuring ice structure size correlated well with the photographic results. The mean ice structure size was inversely proportional to the moving speed of the freezing front in accordance with the theory proposed by us before. Effects of additives, such as sucrose, sodium chloride, and urea, on the ice structure size were tested. With addition of these additives, the ice structure size increased as compared with the control with no additives. Addition of Triton X-100, however, substantially decreased the ice structure size, probably due to the reduction in the molecular diffusion rate of water at the ice-solution interface.