Control of plant-based biopolymer composite gel texture: Combining potato proteins with different high acyl-low acyl gellan gum ratios

The impact of blending different kinds of gellan gum (GG) on the textural attributes of potato protein-based biopolymer composites was studied. The total potato protein concentration (10 wt%) and gellan gum concentration (3 wt%) of the composite gels was fixed but the ratio of HAGG (forms soft and elastic gel) to LAGG (forms hard and brittle gel) was varied (100:0 to 0:100). During cooling, HAGG set at a higher temperature than LAGG, due to differences in steric hindrance effects. As the LAGG content increased, the shear modulus, Young's modulus, and brittleness of the gels increased, while their water holding capacity decreased. There were no major differences in the nature of the molecular interactions between the proteins in composite gels formulated using different gellan gum ratios. The addition of an antifoaming agent significantly reduced the variability in the textural attributes of the gels and increased their gel strength, which was attributed to its ability to suppress bubble formation. Overall, our results suggest that the textural attributes of biopolymer composite gels can be controlled by using plant proteins in combination with a pair of polysaccharides with different gelling properties. This knowledge may aid in the formulation of soft solid plant-based foods with more desirable textural attributes, such as meat, seafood, or egg analogs.