Insight into the mechanism of physicochemical influence by three polysaccharides on myofibrillar protein gelation

In this study, the effect and mechanism of myofibrillar protein (MP) gelation influenced by the hydration characteristic of three polysaccharides were studied through puncture test, paraffin section, SEM and Raman spectroscopy. The gel strength and water holding capability reflect that MP gelation only significantly improves until modified starch (MS) addition beyond 1.0%. The MS granule improves MP gel property through simply physical swelling effect. At gelatinization temperature, MS absorbs the moisture nearby to compress the MP three-dimensional networks, but the swelling effect is limited. The insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) improves MP gelation property through moisture stability. The IDF addition could lessen the appearance of moisture channel in MP gel networks and promote the interaction of hydrophobic groups. The MP gelation with 2.0% IDF addition has the highest gel strength (279 g) and water holding capability (91.87%). The konjac glucomannan (KG) (>1.0%) could degrade gel property of MP gelation through interpenetrate structure, because the KG hydrogel hinders the aggregation of the MP gel networks. In conclusion, the IDF, which has strong water-holding capability at room temperature and distribute individually, is the best polysaccharides-based fat replacement in low-fat restructured products.