Freezing of soybeans influences the hydrophobicity of soy protein

Contribution of phospholipase B to the formation of characteristic flavor in steamed sturgeon meat

Sensory analysis and untargeted lipidomics were employed to study the impact of phospholipase B (PLB) on lipid oxidation and flavor in steamed sturgeon meat, revealing the inherent relationship between lipid oxidation and flavor regulation. The research verified that PLB effectively suppresses fat oxidation and improves the overall taste of steamed sturgeon meat. Furthermore, the PLB group identified 52 compounds, and the content of odor substances such as isoamyl alcohol and hexanal was reduced compared with other groups. Finally, lipid substances containing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were screened out from 32 kinds of differential phospholipids. Through Pearson correlation analysis, it was observed that certain differential phospholipids such as PC (22:6) and PC (22:5) exhibited varying correlations with odor substances like hexanal and isovaleraldehyde. These findings suggest that PLB specifically affects certain phospholipids, leading to the production of distinct volatile substances through oxidative degradation.

The effect of subzero temperatures on the properties and structure of soy protein isolate emulsions

Different freezing temperatures (-5, -20, -40 and -80 ℃) could change soy protein isolate (SPI) structure and emulsion properties. After freezing at -5 ℃ and -20 ℃, the structure of the SPI loosened, the fluorescence intensity was red shifted, and the proportion of Phe, Tyr and Trp exposed increased. With decreasing temperature, the surface hydrophobicity (H0 × 100), the number of sulfhydryl groups and the number of disulfide bonds all rose, then fell (-40 ℃), and rose again (-80 ℃). The β-sheet content in the protein secondary structure increased from 32.71% (control) to 50.66% (-40 ℃) and then decreased to 37.05% (-80 ℃), while the β-turn and random coil contents showed the opposite pattern, which also confirmed aggregation. The emulsification performance of SPI after freezing treatment was decreased. The results of this study provide theoretical support for future production of frozen foods with added SPI.

High Protein Yangyu jiaotuan (): In Vitro Oral-Gastro-Small Intestinal Starch Digestion and Some Physico-Chemical, Textural, Microstructural, and Rheological Properties

Biomimetic foods are expected to have potential health benefits for the management and prevention of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In the current research, two commercially available and affordable plant proteins (soy protein isolate-SPI and pea protein isolate-PPI) at two levels (5%, 10%) were added to the Yangyu jiaotuan with the objective of developing a product with reduced glycaemic properties and high protein content while maintaining its original taste and texture. The results showed that several important textural properties such as hardness and chewiness did not change significantly during the refrigerated storage. The storage modulus G' increased with refrigerated storage time for different samples, but there were significant differences among the five samples (with and without protein addition) with respect to frequency dependence during rheological measurements. The in vitro starch digestion experiments showed that the starch hydrolysis of Yangyu jiaotuan decreased considerably (by up to 42.08%) with the increase in PPI content and during refrigerated storage due to starch retrogradation. Protein has protected the microstructure and there was less damage when compared to samples without protein. The bimodal peaks of the particle size distribution curves showed that the newly developed Yangyu jiaotuan contains two different sizes of particles; the smaller particles (~30 μm) corresponded to PPI and starch granules, while the larger particles corresponded to the fragments of the gel network of the starch matrix. Based on the above results, Yangyu jiaotuan mixed with pea protein is a convenient potato staple food product, which complies with the biomimetic potato food very well.

Further evaluation on structural and antioxidant capacities of soy protein isolate under multiple freeze-thaw cycles

Multiple freeze-thaw (F-T) treatments could change a protein structure and affect its physicochemical activities. In this work, soy protein isolate (SPI) was subjected to multiple F-T treatments, and the changes in its physicochemical and functional properties were investigated. The three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy indicated that F-T treatments changed the structure of SPI, including an increase in surface hydrophobicity. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that SPI underwent denaturation, unfolding and aggregation due to the interchange of sulfhydryl-disulfide bonds and the exposure of hydrophobic groups. Correspondingly, the particle size of SPI increased significantly and the protein precipitation rate also increased from 16.69%/25.33% to 52.52%/55.79% after nine F-T treatments. The F-T treated SPI had a higher antioxidant capacity. Results indicate that F-T treatments may be used as a strategy to ameliorate preparation methods and improve functional characteristics of SPI, and suggest that multiple F-T treatment is an alternative way to recover soy proteins.

Directed evolution engineering to improve activity of glucose dehydrogenase by increasing pocket hydrophobicity

Glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) is a NAD(P)+ dependent oxidoreductase, which is useful in glucose determination kits, glucose biosensors, cofactor regeneration, and biofuel cells. However, the low efficiency of the catalysis hinders the use of GDH in industrial applications. In this study, an analysis of interactions between eight GDH mutants and NADP+ is powered by AlphaFold2 and Discovery Studio 3.0. The docking results showed that more hydrogen bonds formed between mutants, such as P45A and NADP+, which indicated that these mutants had the potential for high catalytic efficiency. Subsequently, we verified all the mutants by site-directed mutagenesis. It was notable that the enzyme activity of mutant P45A was 1829 U/mg, an improvement of 28-fold compared to wild-type GDH. We predicted the hydrophobicity of the protein-ligand complexes, which was confirmed by an 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulphonic acid fluorescent probe. The following order of increasing hydrophobicity index was deduced: GDH < N46E < F155Y < P45A, which suggested that the enzyme activity of GDH is positively related to its pocket hydrophobicity. Furthermore, P45A still showed better catalytic ability in organic solvents, reaching 692 U/mg in 10% isopropanol, which was 19-fold that of the wild-type GDH. However, its substrate affinity was affected by organic solvents. This study provides a good theoretical foundation for further improving the catalytic efficiency of GDH.

Research progress in tofu processing: From raw materials to processing conditions

As a traditional soybean product with good quality and a healthy food with many functional components, tofu is increasingly consumed in people's daily life. Traditional tofu processing consists of numerous steps, including the soaking and grinding of soybean seeds, heating of the soybean slurry, filtering, and addition of coagulants, and others. The properties of soybean seeds, processing scale, soaking and heating conditions, type and concentration of coagulant, and other factors collectively impact the processing steps and the final tofu quality. The generation of whole soybean tofu with more nutritive value comparing with traditional tofu has been successfully reported by several studies. As one of the most important functional component, isoflavones and their presence in tofu are also influenced by the above-mentioned factors, which influence the nutritive value of tofu. Research investigating the influence of tofu processing conditions on the quality and isoflavone profiles of tofu are the subject of this review. Issues that should be further studied to investigate the influence of processing conditions on the quality and nutritive value of tofu are also introduced.

Changes in quality characteristics of tofu with freezing treatment of soybeans

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of length of freezing time (-18°C for 5 or 24 h) on the quality characteristics of tofu. The yield and moisture content of tofu obtained from frozen soybean were lower than control tofu. Tofu made from frozen soybeans showed higher hardness, gumminess and chewiness than the control. Freezing treatment also made the microstructure of the tofu more uniform than the control. However, after 24-h freezing, hardness decreased and the microstructure of tofu appeared to form pores. Sensory evaluation showed that mouth-feel decreased with an increase of freezing time. Among all of tofu frozen at -18°C, 5-h freezing treatment showed the highest overall acceptability. These results indicate that the length of time that soybeans are frozen before making tofu affects the quality of tofu.

Thermal behavior of soy protein fractions depending on their preparation methods, individual interactions, and storage conditions

Different soy protein isolates (SPI) and whey soy protein (WSP) samples were obtained from fresh and stored soybean flour. Some samples were subjected to a long, cold storage. DSC thermograms of SPI showed the two characteristic endotherms, corresponding to denaturation of β-conglycinin and glycinin. Low value of denaturation enthalpy and high glycinin denaturation temperature were related to a reduction of protein solubility of SPI. DSC thermograms of WSP also showed two characteristic endotherms, corresponding to Kunitz trypsin inhibitor and lectin. The methods and conditions of preparation and storage of WSP samples were factors that modified their thermal behavior. Some SPI-WSP mixtures (1:1) exhibited more complex thermograms and higher denaturation temperatures. Thermograms of SPI-denatured WSP mixtures showed that the thermal stabilization of soybean storage proteins was attributed to protein-protein interactions. The differences in the thermal behavior of single or mixed SPI and WSP could not be explained on the basis of mineral content.