The application of Gracilaria lemaneiformis polysaccharide as a potential flavor improver and stabilizer for set...

This study aimed to investigate the structure and its effect on the set yogurt quality of Gracilaria lemaneiformis polysaccharide (GLP). Herein, GLP was mainly composed of galactose, xylose and glucose with proportions of 93.65 %, 3.49 % and 2.86 %, respectively, and a molecular weight of 2.305 × 10⁶ Da. In addition, GLP exhibited excellent thermal stability based on thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. This study also investigated the impact of GLP on the quality of set yogurt was investigated in this work. The results indicated that 0.1 % GLP significantly facilitated the formation of a stable and unique gel network structure in set yogurt. Meanwhile, the addition of 0.1 % GLP improved the water holding capacity and hardness of set yogurt during storage periods, and the yogurt demonstrated shear thinning behavior and a higher storage modulus. It was remarkable that 0.1 % GLP regulated the odor of set yogurt, including increasing the response values of W1W and W2W, which may be related to the formation of acetic acid and acetoin. Collectively, this study showed the potential advantages of GLP as a stabilizer for set yogurt, contributing to the high-value utilization of marine polysaccharides in the food industry.