NMR investigations of the 4-ethyl guaicol self-diffusion in iota (ι)-carrageenan gels

Self-diffusion coefficient of an aroma molecule (4-ethyl guaicol) was measured using the pulsed field gradient spin echo NMR (PGSE-NMR) method in order to investigate the influence of a macromolecular matrix on its diffusion and release processes. Iota (ι)-carrageenan was used for its ability to form thermoreversible gels in aqueous salt solutions. Variations of the ι-carrageenan and the salt concentrations permitted various gels with different thermal and rheological properties to be obtained. These latter were modified by an isotope effect obtained by preparing gels in D2O. The NMR self-diffusion measurements realised for water and the aroma molecules indicated neither chemical interactions with ι-carrageenan, nor obstruction effects from the polysaccharide chains. In ι-carrageenan gels, the diffusional phenomenon was highly dependent on the heterogeneous gel structure and controlled by hydrodynamic interactions due to frictional drag between each molecule of the system and water microviscosity changes.