Moving towards Food Sustainability: Advances in Novel Alternative and Hybrid Protein Gels

Dear Colleagues,

Protein gels are the matrices of many traditional foods, such as cheeses, puddings, and sausages. Proteins from animal sources such as milk, eggs, and meat have been widely used as gelling agents in the food industry. However, the traditional production of animal proteins is associated with significant greenhouse gas emissions and a greater demand for land. Given these concerns, a growing number of research groups have focused their activities on alternative proteins produced from plants (e.g., legumes, nuts, and fruits), seafood (e.g., seaweeds and algae), or precision fermentation. They have explored the partial replacement of animal proteins with these alternative proteins in gel-based foods. However, achieving this task remains a great challenge.

This Special Issue delves into the latest advancements in the development, characterization, and properties of gels from alternative proteins or their mixture with animal proteins, emphasizing their unique properties and multifunctional capabilities. Key topics include the following:

• Innovations in extracting proteins from plants and other novel non-animal sources.
• The impact of extraction and processing methods on the gelling properties of proteins, including the effects of other compounds like starch and fiber on gel properties.
• Mechanisms of protein interactions—understanding the synergistic or antagonistic interactions between animal and alternative proteins during aggregation and gelation.
• Advances in characterization techniques—utilizing state-of-the-art microscopic, textural, and rheological methods to analyze the protein gels.

This Special Issue aims to provide a thorough understanding of the current state and future potential of alternative protein gels, contributing to the transition from animal protein-based foods to other alternative protein-based foods.

Dr. Wenjie Xia
Prof. Dr. Lilia Ahrné
Prof. Dr. Deniz Z. Gunes
Dr. Leonard Sagis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• alternative protein gels
• hybrid protein gels
• protein interactions
• rheology
• structure
• texture
• microscopy