Effect of Modified Wheat Gluten on Boiling Resistance Capacity of Pork Meatballs

The effect of the modified wheat gluten (MWG) extender, prepared by alcalase-based hydrolysis and transglutaminase cross-linking, on meatballs was analyzed in this study. Here, we studied the effect of MWG addition on the boiling resistance capacity of pork meatballs (MB-MWG) at high temperature (100 °C) and increasing cooking time; meatballs with added soy protein isolates (MB-SPI) and raw wheat gluten (MB-WG) were used as references. The cooking loss, water-holding capacity (WHC), and textural properties of meatballs were investigated. The results revealed that MB-MWG showed lower cooking loss, which decreased by 49.16% compared to meatballs without added extenders when treated for 30 min. The WHC of MB-MWG significantly increased from 80.68% to 95.42%. The hardness, springiness, and chewiness (textural properties) of MB-MWG were also significantly increased by 97.05%, 6.68%, and 121.96%, respectively. The addition of MWG increased the cross-linking in meatballs during the cooking process, as indicated by the higher G'. SDS-PAGE indicated an obvious decrease in myosin heavy chain in MB-MWG cooked for 30 min at 100 °C, which was attributed to the interaction of myofibrillar proteins in pork meat with MWG. The nuclear magnetic resonance T2 relaxation time patterns indicated that MWG addition caused an increase in the bound water content, and decrease in the free water content, of meatballs. An analysis of the microstructures revealed that the MB-MWG formed the most regular and compact network. Therefore, MWG could be used as an ingredient to facilitate the processing of meat products.