Changes in the Properties of Hydrogel Made Using Undried Citrus Pomace

In this study, hydrogel was prepared using undried citrus pomace. Although the citrus pomace has several functional materials, including vitamin C, its utilization is very limited, and its disposal has become one of the serious problems in the citrus juice industry after the prevention of ocean disposal. The morphological properties of undried citrus pomace required the fine grinding treatment, which resulted in the homogeneous structure of hydrogel with the citrus pomace. The appearance of hydrogel before and after the addition of the treated citrus pomace was not significantly different, except for the color. The addition of the citrus pomace resulted in the decrease of the gelation content and in the hydrogel swelling capacity. Moreover, the higher citrus pomace addition induced the higher vitamin C content in the hydrogel. The gel strength could be increased via nanocellulose addition.