Abstract
This study focuses on the effect of the mixture (XO/EW) of xylooligosaccharides (XO) and egg white protein (EW) on the physicochemical properties, conformation, and gel-forming ability of Culter alburnus myofibrillar proteins (MP) during multiple freeze–thaw (FT) cycles. In our methodology, MP samples added with EW, XO, or XO/EW mixture (1%, v/v) are prepared, and after multiple FT cycles, the XO or XO/EW-treated samples show significant (p < 0.05) inhibition on the decrease of sulfhydryl content and the increase of carbonyl content of MP. Compared with EW, XO or XO/EW could delay the increase of surface hydrophobicity and the decline of secondary and tertiary structural properties of MP, indicating that XO or XO/EW could more effectively increase the stability of MP conformation. Meanwhile, XO/EW could more effectively reduce the decrease of gel strength and gel water holding capacity, and the increase in the T2 relaxation time of MP gel, confirming that XO/EW could substantially improve the MP gel-forming ability. Analysis of intermolecular interaction force proves that, compared with EW, XO/EW could reduce the content decrease of ionic and hydrogen bonds in MP gel. Overall, XO/EW could improve the stability of MP functional properties over multiple FT cycles. This study provides a new perspective for the potential commercial application of EW as a low-calorie cryoprotectant in aquatic products.
Highlights
The results indicate that egg white protein (EW) or XO can retard the deterioration of the gel network structure of myofibrillar proteins (MP), where EW improved the MP gel network by filling the gel network, while XO inhibited the reduction of MP gel-forming ability by suppressing the decrease of sulfhydryl content and the conformational changes of protein molecules
This study evaluated the protective effect of XO and EW mixture (XO/EW) on Culter alburnus MP during multiple FT cycles
Adding XO/EW in MP was shown to significantly (p < 0.05) inhibit the changes in the physicochemical properties of MP caused by multiple FT cycles, thereby reducing the aggregation and degradation of MP
Summary
In China, Culter alburnus is widely distributed in rivers and lakes, and its commercialization and preservation have attracted increasing attention, due to its delicious taste and balanced nutrition [1]. An increasing amount of Culter alburnus is preserved through frozen storage for commercial transportation and long-term nutritional stability. Temperature fluctuation during transportation and in-complete cold chains would negatively affect the quality of aquatic products. Aquatic products are repeatedly frozen, stored, and thawed during consumption (such as hotels and homes) to facilitate processing, thereby decreasing the functional and nutritional attributes of the 4.0/). Repeated freezing-thawing cycles will degrade the quality of the product and reduce its commercial value
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