Synergistic effects of polysaccharide addition-ultrasound treatment on the emulsified properties of low-salt myofibrillar protein

Salt reduction in meat products induces quality deterioration. Hence, it is necessary to find an effective method to markedly improve the quality of low-salt emulsion-type meat products. Considering the limitation of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) treatment in quality improvement of low-salt myofibrillar protein (MP), 0.1% polysaccharides addition, including guar gum (GG) and chitosan (CH), were combined with HIU treatment (PS-UT) to synergistically improve the stability of low-salt chicken MP emulsion. The results showed that GG combined HIU treatment (GGUT) significantly increased the emulsion viscosity and reduced the droplets size compared to solely usage of GG addition or HIU treatment. Through the micrographs, it is concluded that GGUT delayed the phase separation by preventing the aggregation of droplets and proteins, and therefore improved the stability of low-salt MP emulsions. Solely adding CH had limited effect on droplets size and emulsion stability. Contrastingly, the synergy of CH combined HIU treatment (CHUT) promoted the formation of CH-MP agglomerates, potentially improved the stability of low-salt MP emulsion by increasing the thickness of the interface film and electrostatic repulsion. The study showed that PS-UT could effectively improve the stability of low-salt MP emulsions through various mechanisms.