Abstract: Structural analysis of κ-carrageenan, konjac gum, and their mixture at a mass ratio of 5.5:4.5 was carried out using DSC, FT-IR and SEM. The FT-IR results showed that hydroxyl group peak of κ-carrageenan and konjac gum shifted to lower wave number direction compared with their mixture. The DSC endothermic peak of κ-carrageenan-konjac gum mixture was wider than κ-carrageenan alone. SEM image showed that the morphology of the mixture gel was more compact than κ-carrageenan. Therefore, it was speculated that κ-carrageenan acted as the backbone of the mixed gel network system while konjac gum played a scattering role.

Key words: κ-carrageenan, konjac gum, gel blend, structure