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Complexation with Ionic Polysaccharides Mitigates pH-Dependent Degradation of Soy Protein Fibril Structure and
Sanjana Sawant1, Audrey L Girard1
1Department of Food Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, United States.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
|August 18, 2025
Summary
Soy protein fibrils were complexed with chitosan or gellan gum to prevent pH-induced degradation. Chitosan maintained fibril structure and gelling ability, while gellan gum formed gels, expanding protein fibril applications.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Biomaterials Science
- Protein Chemistry
Background:
- Protein fibrils are susceptible to pH-induced structural and functional degradation.
- Developing methods to stabilize protein fibrils is crucial for their application in food matrices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the complexation of soy protein fibrils with gellan gum (anionic) and chitosan (cationic).
- To assess the ability of these complexes to mitigate pH-induced degradation of fibril structure and function.
Main Methods:
- Complexation of soy protein fibrils with gellan gum and chitosan.
- Analysis of fibril integrity using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).
- Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to evaluate secondary structure.
- Rheological analysis using a Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) to assess gelling properties.
Main Results:
- Chitosan complexation preserved soy protein fibril integrity and β-sheet structure against pH changes (pH 2 to 4).
- Chitosan-modified fibrils retained significant gelling ability at pH 4.
- Gellan gum complexation led to the formation of self-supporting gels at neutral pH (pH 7).
Conclusions:
- Chitosan effectively mitigates pH-induced degradation of soy protein fibrils through electrostatic interactions.
- Gellan gum facilitates gel formation with protein fibrils.
- These findings enhance the potential of protein fibrils in diverse food applications.
Keywords:
fibrillationprotein functionalityprotein−polysaccharide complexationsoy proteinstructure modificationMore Related Videos
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