Syneresis of carrageenan gels: NMR and rheology

A novel and quick method to predict the syneresis of carrageenan gels using ¹³³Cs NMR is proposed. Cesium ions in carrageenan undergo a sharp change in mobility while cooling. By correlating that to the mobility of the polymer chains, we can identify a transition from a mobile gel to a frozen "glassy state" as a function of temperature and ion concentration. The demarcation between gel and glass distinguishes between systems that synerese over long times and those that do not. This is supported by rheological measurements that show that the modulus remains constant over time at temperatures below the transition temperature.