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Published on: May 3, 2024
Effect of NaCl on the Rheological, Structural, and Gelling Properties of Walnut Protein Isolate-κ-Carrageenan
Yuqing Lei1,2, Hui Ouyang1, Wu Peng1
1Key Laboratory for Agricultural Products Processing of Anhui Province, Engineering Research Center of Bioprocess, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Ministry of Education, Hefei 230601, China.
Abstract:
In this study, we discovered that a certain concentration of Na+ (15 mM) significantly improved the bond strength (12.94 ± 0.93 MPa), thermal stability (72.68 °C), rheological properties, and textural attributes of walnut protein isolate (WNPI)-κ-carrageenan (KC) composite gel. Electrostatic force, hydrophobic interaction, hydrogen bond, and disulfide bond were also significantly strengthened; the α-helix decreased, and the β-sheet increased in the secondary structure, indicating that the protein molecules in the gel system aggregated in an orderly manner, which led to a much denser and more uniform gel network as well as improved water-holding capacity. In this experimental research, we developed a new type of walnut protein gel that could provide technical support for the high-value utilization and quality control of walnut protein.
