The thiol-dependent gelation of conalbumin was highly dependent on both pH and the buffers used. The hardness of the gels was the maximum at pH 8.0-8.8. At pH 8.0, it was several time greater in sodium phosphate buffer than in Tris-HCl buffer. Comparison of the effects of inorganic and organic salts revealed that the difference in gel hardness was caused by the difference in anion species. The hardness of the thiol-dependent gel formed under different anion conditions was inversely correlated with the rate of gel formation. Scanning electron microscopic study showed that the gel formed in sodium phosphate appeared as a sponge-like, uniform network structure, while that in Tris-HCl was coarse.

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