New study shows how carbonated water can be used to tune properties of hydrogels for various uses

Low-methoxy (LM) pectin gels have gained momentum in tissue engineering and drug delivery in recent years due to their excellent biocompatibility. LM pectin forms stable hydrogels by forming supramolecular assemblies with egg-box structures in the presence of divalent ions like Ca2+, generally provided by a calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution or calcium carbonate (CaCO3). In particular, the use of CaCO3 enables the preparation of LM pectin gels with controlled shape.