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Updated: May 12, 2026
Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Mechanism insights into NaCl-regulated molecular aggregation and crosslinking during Antarctic krill (Euphausia
Jiajun Pan1, Xinmiao Wang2, Xiaoming Guo1
1Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Health, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center of Aquatic Food Processing and Safety Control, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
Abstract:
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) represents a vast yet underutilized marine protein resource; however, its inherently weak and unstable gelation properties hinder its broad industrial application. The primary objective of this study was to systematically investigate how NaCl (1-3.5%, w/w) modulates protein aggregation and crosslinking during the thermal gelation of Antarctic krill surimi. Using Litopenaeus vannamei as a reference, a multi-scale analysis showed that 2.5% NaCl produced optimal gel texture (2.56 N for Antarctic krill; 25.84 N for Litopenaeus vannamei). Rheology revealed a three-stage gelation process with stronger elastic reinforcement in Litopenaeus vannamei. AFM analysis demonstrated that NaCl promoted protein aggregation during two-stage heating, with more pronounced aggregation observed in krill proteins. An aggregation efficiency of ∼0.85 yielded the best gel performance, underscoring that network formation benefits from progressive aggregation dynamics rather than runaway cluster growth. These findings provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the quality of krill-based foods.
