Johannes Marburger

Profile: Student in Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Process Engineering or a related field, with interest in hydrogels; high level of initiative, motivation, and curiosity; committed to accurate and reproducible research practices.

Microgel particles made from biopolymers are finding increasing application as food additives due to their ability to act as texturizing or sensory agents. Their functional properties depend on attributes like size, shape, and chemical or physical structure. Furthermore, these attributes are known to be linked to process and formulation parameters during the preparation process. The goal of this work is to set up a high-pressure homogenization process for the continuous production of MGPs from biopolymers. For this process, we want to find relationships between process/formulation parameters and MGP attributes. Particular focus will be placed on the MGP shape, with the goal to achieve elongated particles of defined size.