Chapter List

1 Introduction

One could propose that mankind's original encounter with a protein gel occurred when the first human accidentally dropped an egg into a fire or hot water and discovered the hard cooked egg. If we accept this humble origin of a culinary art, then the presence of current research1 dealing with the gelation of ovalbumin demonstrates that making protein gels is a simple process while understanding the molecular mechanisms continues to present scientific challenges.

The seminal review by Ferry2 defines some general properties of protein gels as "...systems in which small proportions of solid are dispersed in relatively large proportions of liquid by the property of mechanical rigidity ... the characteristic property common to all gels." The rheological characteristics of gels were further refined3 to include viscoelastic properties and to distinguish between 'solid' and 'solid-like' gels. The key elements of a solid-like gel are a storage modulus, G'( ?), which has a plateau extending to times...