Abstract:

Gelatin was cross-linked with tannic acid as cross-linking agent. Gel properties and degradation characters of crosslinked gelatin were evaluated. Microcapsules were prepared with cross-linked gelatin as wall material and vitamin B1 as core material. Release characters of core material in microcapsules were analyzed. The results showed that the minimum concentration of cross-linked gelatin to form gel is identical to raw gelatin at about 0.6%. However, the gel strength of cross-linked gelatin is lower than that of raw gelatin at the same concentration. Degradation study in vitro showed that the raw gelatin and cross-linked gelatin are hardly degraded in simulated gastric fluid, but both of them are degraded in simulated intestinal fluid, and the cross-linked gelatin is degraded slower than the raw gelatin. The microcapsules with cross-linked gelatin as wall material show certain slowrelease property in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids.

Key words: gelatin, tannic acid, cross-linking, property