Mechanical properties of two-phase disperse agar/gelatin mixed gels

Agar/gelatin mixed gels with the same composition but with a different two-phase disperse structure were prepared and their mechanical properties compared. The agar/gelatin mixture was first kept at temperature above the gelling temperature of gelatin but below that of agar and stirred for the selected period, before cooling it below the gelling temperature of gelatin. For the low rupture stress system the agar concentration was 0.7% (w/w), while the gelatin concentration was 4.5% (w/w) to achieve the same rupture stress as the agar gel. The mixing temperatures selected were 20 and 37C. For the high rupture stress system, the agar and gelatin concentration was 2.8 and 10.4% (w/w), respectively, to achieve the same rupture stress. The mixing temperatures selected were 37 and 40C. The both mixed gels prepared by this method consisted of a dispersed phase of agar and a continuous phase of gelatin. The rupture stress of the mixed gels decreased as the content of the dispersed phase increased. The rupture stress had a tendency to be lower as the size of the dispersed particles increased. These results suggest that the interface between the dispersed phase and the continuous phase plays an important role as Griffith's crack, with the rupture of mixed gels occurring from that place.