Cell-sized mold makes gelatin gels (jelly) 10 times stiffer

Micro-sized gels are indispensable for biomedical, cosmetic, and food materials, warranting importance of controlling mechanical properties of a single microgel for application usages. Here it was shown that space sizes for gelation change mechanical properties of gelatin gels. Detailed analysis in the microgel structure revealed that changes in secondary structures of gelatin protein induced the increase of elasticity. These findings shed light on the ability of space-size as a controller of mechanical properties of gels.