Mechanism of differences in characteristics of thick/thin egg whites during storage: Physicochemical, functional and molecular structure characteristics analysis

This study systematically analyzed and compared thechanges of physicochemical, functional and molecular structural characteristics between thick egg white (KEW) and thin egg white (NEW) during storage. Analysis of physicochemical properties showed that moisture content decreased significantly with the increase of pH during storage. KEW was gradually thinning, while NEW was closer to Newtonian fluid. Functional properties indicated that KEW thermal gel was gradually hard and brittle with the properties of NEW. KEW had better emulsifying property than NEW, and NEW had superior foaming ability. The α-helix and β-sheet in the FT-IR spectrum showed a downward trend, revealing secondary structure changed from order to disorder. Enhancement of fluorescence intensity indicated the structural unfolding and exposure of tryptophan residues. SDS-PAGE proved that OVO might be related to the difference between KEW and NEW characteristics. This study provided new idea and reference value for egg storage and diversified utilization of egg white.