The effects and mechanisms of four exogenous proteins, soy protein isolate (SPI), pea protein isolate (PPI), egg white protein (EWP), and whey protein isolate (WPI), on the gelation of Meretrix meretrix (MM) surimi were investigated. The exogenous protein addition significantly increased the G* of samples to 1.36-1.60 folds compared to the MM group, and the MM/EWP sample presented a better time-stable structure. Furthermore, the incorporation of SPI and EWP reduced expressible water content by 17.51 % and 21.61 % in MM gel, respectively. Moreover, SPI and PPI interacted with water to act as fillers within the MM matrix, where SPI formed larger self-aggregations than PPI. A double cross-linked network was generated by EWP and MM protein, and WPI increased the interaction with MM protein as a binder. This research could provide a theoretical basis for the processing and utilization of exogenous proteins in MM.
Keywords: Exogenous protein; Gelation; Hybrid surimi gel; Meretrix meretrix.
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