Co-Gelation of Pumpkin-Seed Protein with Egg-White Protein

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the gelation process of binary mixes of pumpkin-seed and egg-white proteins. The substitution of pumpkin-seed proteins with egg-white proteins improved the rheological properties of the obtained gels, i.e., a higher storage modulus, lower tangent delta, and larger ultrasound viscosity and hardness. Gels with a larger egg-white protein content were more elastic and more resistant to breaking structure. A higher concentration of pumpkin-seed protein changed the gel microstructure to a rougher and more particulate one. The microstructure was less homogenous, with a tendency to break at the pumpkin/egg-white protein gel interface. The decrease in the intensity of the amide II band with an increase in the pumpkin-seed protein concentration showed that the secondary structure of this protein evolved more toward a linear amino acid chain compared with the egg-white protein, which could have an impact on the microstructure. The supplementation of pumpkin-seed proteins with egg-white proteins caused a decrease in water activity from 0.985 to 0.928, which had important implications for the microbiological stability of the obtained gels. Strong correlations were found between the water activity and rheological properties of the gels; an improvement of their rheological properties resulted in a decrease in water activity. The supplementation of pumpkin-seed proteins with egg-white proteins resulted in more homogenous gels with a stronger microstructure and better water binding.

Chicken Egg White Gels: Fabrication, Modification, and Applications in Foods and Oral Nutraceutical Delivery

“…For example, the addition of soybean protein isolate (SPI) can improve the springiness and WHC of EW gels when the total protein concentration was above 0.03 g/mL due to the formation of fine microstructures through the filling and non-filling effects [ 73 ]. In addition, pumpkin-seed protein gels with a larger egg-white protein content were more elastic and more resistant to breaking force due to the formation of more homogenous and stronger microstructures [ 74 ]. Therefore, a composite protein gel system is attractive for the food industry to obtain new products with a different texture.…”

L-Theanine Improves the Gelation of Ginkgo Seed Proteins at Different pH Levels

“…The exploration of new food protein resources could expand the scope of protein acquisition, improve the efficacy of plant protein utilization, reduce dependence on animalderived proteins, and contribute to environmental and food sustainability [10,11]. Notably, Gels 2024, 10, 131 2 of 14 there has been a preliminary investigation into harvesting edible proteins from ginkgo seeds in China, driven by the increasing demand for plant proteins and the rising production of ginkgo seeds as a byproduct of the pharmaceutical industry [12].…”