Emulsion‐forming properties of heat‐induced pork myofibrillar protein affected by NaCl

Summary The emulsification characteristics of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) with different NaCl concentrations also affect the quality of meat products after cooking. We investigated the effects of heating (100 °C) on the solubility, emulsifying activity, and conformational and environmental changes of MPs prepared with different NaCl concentrations. Emulsifying activity increased with increasing NaCl prior to heating, but there was no significant effect after heating. The viscosity increased and particle size decreased with increasing NaCl before heating, but these properties did not change after heating. NaCl did not affect the amount of α‐helix and β‐sheet. We deduced that the different emulsifying activity of myofibrillar proteins with different NaCl concentrations after heating may have been due to changes in the local environment of MPs. An understanding of the physicochemical and functional properties of MPs would unlock an area for development of meat products at different NaCl and temperature in the food industry.