Plant-based egg white analogue: Curdlan-mediated crosslinking of soy and chickpea protein replicates egg white...

Most existing plant-based egg analogue studies employ single plant proteins or simple blends, often relying on polysaccharides such as carrageenan or starch to adjust texture. The unresolved problem is how to replicate the complex, two-stage thermal gelation of real egg white gels (REG) using only plant-derived components. Limited knowledge regarding the cooperative gelation between complementary proteins, including soy protein isolate (SPI) and chickpea protein isolate (CPI), and multifunctional neutral polysaccharides such as curdlan (CL). This study addresses whether CL's dual gelation modes (thermoreversible and thermally irreversible) can be harnessed with mixed protein matrices to reproduce REG physicochemical and structural properties. A ternary analogue gel (TAG) system comprising SPI, CPI, and CL was prepared with varying CL levels (4-8 wt%) and evaluated via rheological, textural, and microstructural analyses. The optimal TAG (6 wt% SPI, 6 wt% CL, 4 wt% CPI) matched REG in hardness (5.068 vs. 4.991 N), gel strength (2.535 vs. 2.627 N), and microstructure. Increasing CL to 6 wt% yielded biphasic gel networks mimicking REG viscoelasticity, while excessive CL (8 wt%) caused SPI aggregation, lowering textural similarity despite higher mechanical values. These findings advance understanding of CL-mediated plant protein gelation and provide rational design strategies for sustainable, high-performance egg alternatives.