Quality characteristic of spray-drying egg white powders

Quantitative proteomics provides new insights into the mechanism of improving rehydration of egg white powder by ultrasonic pretreatment

Poor rehydration is one of the key factors affecting the functional properties of egg white powder (EWP). Reducing rehydrated precipitates is important for the processing and application of EWP. In this study, effects of ultrasonic pretreatment on the physicochemical and functional properties of EWP rehydration solutions were studied with the aim of revealing the mechanism of ultrasonic pretreatment to improve rehydration. Compared with freeze-dried EWP (FD) and spray-dried EWP (SD), the percentage of ultrasonic pretreated FD (UFD) and ultrasonic pretreated SD (USD) rehydrated precipitates decreased by 13.0 % and 5.6 %, respectively, after ultrasonic pretreatment (0.25 W/mL for 10 min); and the average particle sizes of UFD and USD solutions decreased by 22.5 % and 15.5 %, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that ultrasonic pretreatment caused higher β-sheet content in the protein secondary structure of UFD rehydrated precipitates (49.2 %). Quantitative proteomic analysis revealed a decrease in the abundance of major egg white proteins (ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, ovomucoid and ovomucin) in the rehydrated precipitates of UFD, except for lysozyme. It was also shown that lysozyme-centered aggregates were disrupted in the rehydrated precipitates of UFD. Our research suggests that ultrasonic pretreatment improves EWP rehydration by reducing the interactions between high abundance proteins as well as improving the solubility of high abundance proteins.

The effect of different drying methods on some physico-chemical, functional and protein structure properties of liquid egg white fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

This research aims to understand the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG fermentation on egg white powder. In this study, some physico-chemical, functional, textural, and protein structure properties of microwave (MD) and oven dried (OD) egg white powders were determined. The fermentation process decreased the pH value (5.92, 5.82) and foaming capacity (20.83%, 27.20%) of MD and OD groups. The highest yield (11.61%) and emulsion capacity values (78.17%) were observed in fermented oven dried group. While MD group (703.22 g) had the lowest hardness value, OD group (3301.35 g) exhibited highest hardness value. The denaturation peaks of the samples were ranged between 61.00 °C and 80.43 °C. Scanning electron microscopy images of all sample groups showed broken glass structure. This study suggests that fermentation (L. rhamnosus GG) can effectively improve the quality properties of egg white powder and thus fermented egg white powders could be used in the food industry.

Graphical abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-023-05766-4.

Effects of different protectants on the IgY content and physico-chemical properties of spray-dried egg yolk powder

BACKGROUND

Egg yolk powder (EYP) with high immunoglobulin of yolk (IgY) content and good solubility is in great demand in the market of functional foods. In this article, the properties of spray-dried EYP with the addition of five protectants (maltodextrin, trehalose, mannitol, maltitol and sucrose) were investigated.

RESULTS

All the protectants increased IgY activity and solubility of EYP. Among them, EYP with maltodextrin displayed the highest activity of IgY (27.11 mg/g), the highest solubility (66.39%) and the lowest surface hydrophobicity. Moreover, the average particle size of EYP with maltodextrin was the smallest (9.78 μm). The egg yolk particles obtained by adding the protectants are more uniformly distributed and have smaller particle size. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the structural integrity of the proteins, indicating that the protectants addition enhanced the hydrogen bonding forces between the EYP protein molecules.

CONCLUSION

The addition of protectants can significantly improve the IgY content, solubility and structural stability of EYP. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Optimization of spray drying process parameters for the food bioactive ingredients

Spray drying (SD) is one of the most important thermal processes used to produce different powders and encapsulated materials. During this process, quality degradation might happen. The main objective of applying optimization methods in SD processes is maximizing the final nutritional quality of the product besides sensory attributes. Optimization regarding economic issues might be also performed. Applying optimization approaches in line with mathematical models to predict product changes during thermal processes such as SD can be a promising method to enhance the quality of final products. In this review, the application of the response surface methodology (RSM), as the most widely used approach, is introduced along with other optimization techniques such as factorial, Taguchi, and some artificial intelligence-based methods like artificial neural networks (ANN), genetic algorithms (GA), Fuzzy logic, and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). Also, probabilistic methods such as Monte Carlo are briefly introduced. Some recent case studies regarding the implementation of these methods in SD processes are also exemplified and discussed.

Improved effect of ultrasound-assisted enzymolysis on egg yolk powder: Structural properties, hydration properties and stability characteristics

Preparation of egg yolk powder (EYP) with excellent hydration properties and dissolution stability is important for the efficient utilization of its functional properties and nutritional properties in food. In this work, a new method utilizing ultrasound-assisted enzymolysis (UP-EM) was investigated to obtain EYP. Compared to enzymolysis-alone treated (EM), ultrasonic pre-treatment (UP) significantly increased the enzymatic hydrolysis rate by 106.28%. In particular, the UP 60 W 20 min-EM group obtained the desired solubility and coefficient of stability. The observed microstructure of EYP showed that the egg yolk particles obtained by UP-EM were more uniformly distributed and smaller in particle size. The protein structure was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrum, which showed that UP enhanced the hydrogen bonding force between egg yolk proteins. Therefore, it can be believed that UP-EM can significantly improve the hydration properties and dispersion stability of EYP, laying the foundation for its wide applications in food industry.

Food Wastes as a Potential new Source for Edible Insect Mass Production for Food and Feed: A review

About one-third of the food produced annually worldwide ends up as waste. A minor part of this waste is used for biofuel and compost production, but most is landfilled, causing environmental damage. Mass production of edible insects for human food and livestock feed seems a sustainable solution to meet demand for animal-based protein, which is expected to increase due to rapid global population growth. The aim of this review was to compile up-to-date information on mass rearing of edible insects for food and feed based on food wastes. The use and the potential role of the fermentation process in edible insect mass production and the potential impact of this rearing process in achieving an environmentally friendly and sustainable food industry was also assessed. Food waste comprises a huge nutrient stock that could be valorized to feed nutritionally flexible edible insects. Artificial diets based on food by-products for black soldier fly, house fly, mealworm, and house cricket mass production have already been tested with promising results. The use of fermentation and fermentation by-products can contribute to this process and future research is proposed towards this direction. Part of the sustainability of the food sector could be based on the valorization of food waste for edible insect mass production. Further research on functional properties of reared edible insects, standardization of edible insects rearing techniques, safety control aspects, and life cycle assessments is needed for an insect-based food industry.

Duck egg albumen: physicochemical and functional properties as affected by storage and processing

The demand for duck meat and eggs in Asian countries increases every year. Duck egg albumen has become an important ingredient in the food industry alongside its hen counterpart, because of its excellent nutritive and functional properties. The major proteins in duck albumen are ovalbumin, ovomucoid, ovomucin, conalbumin, and lysozyme. Comparing with hen albumen, lower contents of ovalbumin, conalbumin, lysozyme and ovoflavoprotein are found in duck albumen. Nevertheless, duck albumen shows better gelling and foaming properties than hen albumen. During storage, duck albumen gel properties are enhanced, while foam volume and foam stability are decreased. Moreover, the changes in quality indices of duck egg including the thinning of the albumen, an increase in albumen pH, loss of water and carbon dioxide occur as storage time is increased. Some processes such as alkaline treatment also cause the loss in nutritive value of egg albumen. In this review, the composition and functional properties of duck albumen and how they are affected by processing conditions are also addressed, in comparison with hen albumen. A better understanding of duck egg albumen would be beneficial so that the food processing industry can exploit the potential of this avian protein.

Gelling properties of duck albumen powder as affected by desugarization and drying conditions

The effects of desugarization using glucose oxidase/catalase and spray-drying conditions on gelling properties of duck albumen powder were studied. Gelling temperatures increased as spray-drying inlet temperatures (140-180C) were increased (p < .05). ΔE*, a*-, and b*- values of gel increased but L* and whiteness decreased when higher spray-drying temperatures were used (p < .05). However, whiteness and lightness of albumen gel were drastically increased after desugarization (p < .05). Texture profile analysis showed that hardness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness of gel decreased with increasing spray-drying temperatures. Moreover, gel of freeze-dried desugarized albumen powder had higher hardness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness than that of spray-dried nondesugarized counterpart (p < .05). Albumen gel prepared from desugarized albumen powder showed the compact network with more connectivity and smaller voids than that from nondesugarized one as visualized by scanning electron microscopy, regardless of drying conditions. Prior desugarization could lower browning and increased gelling properties of duck albumen powder. Higher spray drying inlet temperature generally exhibited the adverse effect on properties of resulting albumen powder. Both desugarization and drying conditions had the profound influence on characteristics and textural property of duck egg albumen.

Spray drying egg using either maltodextrin or nopal mucilage as stabilizer agents

In this work, a comparative study between spray drying (SD) of fresh egg by either maltodextrin (MD) or nopal-mucilage (MN) as stabilizing vectors was made. The powders obtained were characterized for drying performance, moisture content, chemical proximate analysis, thermal analysis (TGA), chemical composition (FTIR), microscopy (SEM) and rheology (viscoelasticity and steady state simple shear viscosity). Infrared analysis showed that MN has the effect of a thickening agent rather than an encapsulating one. Results indicated that SD egg with MN produced a high thermal and mechanical stable product and rendered the highest drying performance, producing a more uniform and defined sphere-shaped morphology in comparison to egg SD either alone and with MD.