spheres increased with increasing xanthan content.
This can be attributed to the chemical structure of
The X:A ratio also has an effect on the size distribution
of the spheres. The number of spheres per gram of
gel decreases with the increase of xanthan content
(Figure 3). The interaction with Ca’+ ions is more
specific to alginates, leading to stronger and stiffer
structures in the egg-box model fonn12. a
The data of Figure 4 demonstrate the size distribution
of XA and GAXA spheres of 1:l polymer ratio. While
the diameters of GAXA spheres are around 1.6-1.8
mm, those of the XA types are assembled around 1.7-
2.0 mm. GA cross-linking seems to cause tighter
networks when compared with the untreated (XA)
spheres.