Influence of konjac glucomannan on the emulsion-filled/non-filled chicken gel: Study on intermolecular forces, microstructure and gelling properties

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of non-/deacetylated konjac glucomannan (KG/DKG) on the intermolecular forces, microstructure and gelling properties of chicken gels filled with/without high internal phase emulsion (HIPE). Results showed that a synergistic effect of HIPE and DKG addition was found with improvements on the gel hardness (5636 g) and cooking loss (0.21%). However, the co-addition of KG (2%) and HIPE could hinder hydrophobic interactions of proteins, leading to the poor gel strength of the chicken gel due to the formation of phase separation. HIPE increased the immobilized water, G′ values and gelation rates, and promoted the transformation of α-helices to β-sheets. The addition of DKG could further increase the hydrophobic interaction, hydrogen bonds and disulfide bonds, and improved the stability of HIPE droplets, leading to the formation of a compact gel network structure. The KG (≤1%) improved gelling properties of chicken gels filled with HIPE through moisture stability.