The effects of phenolic additives on the gelation behavior of gelatin gels were investigated using thermomechanical analysis (TMA) for study of gel-melting temperature, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for study of gel-storage modulus and gel-aging stability, viscometry for study of gelation time, and texture analyzer for study of gel strength and gel melting. Thermodynamically, the addition of 1,3-benzenediol, 1,4-benzenediol or 1,3,5-benzenetriol favored the gelation process of gelatin solutions (increases in T-m and aging stability) due to the introduction of extra physical crosslinks among gelatin chains through hydrogen bonding, while the addition of 1,2-benzenediol had a negative effect (decreases in T-m and aging stability) possibly due to intra-hydrogen bonding of the additive molecule itself. All the phenolic compounds had little effect on gel moduli. Kinetically, the introduction of 1,2-benzenediol or 1,4-benzenediol slowed the gelation process, while introduction of catechin, a polyphenol, accelerated the first stage of the gelation process. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.