Evaluation of physicochemical properties on meringue prepared from phospholipase A2 enzyme-hydrolyzed liquid egg albumen

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the effects of various concentrations (0.1; 0.2 and 0.3 v/v %) of phospholipase A2 (PLA) enzyme-modified liquid egg albumen (LEA) on color, water activity, specific volume, textural profile analysis, and sensorial characteristics of cooked meringues for 90 days storage period at room temperature. Also, the rheological creep-recovery changes, specific density, color, and physico-functional properties of meringue batters were evaluated. The meringue batter density in the control group (0.47 ± 0.01) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) after PLA hydrolysis, while better specific gravity values were obtained in 0.3% enzyme concentration (0.36 ± 0.01). The use of the enzyme-hydrolyzed LEA also significantly (p < 0.05) decreased water activity with control, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% of PLA (0.447 ± 0.01; 0.429 ± 0.01; 0.429 ± 0.01, and 0.420 ± 0.01), respectively. The batter densities of meringues prepared by PLA enzyme decreased with increasing the enzyme concentration, while as enzyme concentration increased, the meringues lost its elasticity. The increase in enzyme concentration leads to a significant increase in meringue’s specific volume values. Sensory analysis of meringues showed that the lowest scores obtained by the control group, and the enzyme hydrolyzed with 0.2% were acceptable. The PLA modification provided the storage stability of meringues in hardness values. This study highlights the use of the PLA enzyme-modified LEA in meringue production results in the development of functional properties and storage stability.