Comparison of Two Small-Scale Processing Methods for Testing Silken Tofu Quality

In developing a simple, reliable, small-scale method to assess silken tofu quality in our soybean improvement program, we examined two processing methods and two coagulants, glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) or nigari (magnesium chloride) in two experiments. Silken tofu was prepared from a commercial soybean variety (expt 1) or seven soybean varieties (V1–V7) which were grown and harvested together (expt 2). The soybeans were soaked overnight (the soak method, with 55 g soybeans) or ground dry first (the dry method, with 60 g soybeans) before processing. The quality of the silken tofu was evaluated and compared among varieties and coagulant-processing methods and their interactions. Moisture and protein content in soymilk and soybean seeds, soymilk yield and protein and solid recovery in soymilk were determined. Compared with the dry method, the soak method allowed faster soymilk extraction, produced soymilk with lower solid and higher protein content and firmer silken tofu with either GDL or nigari as coagulant. Depending on whether nigari or GDL was used as coagulant, the soak method also produced silken tofu with the highest or the lowest water loss which correlated strongly and negatively with tofu hardness (r?=??0.93***). Differences were detected among varieties for the key quality attributes. Taken together, the soak method with GDL as coagulant would be the preferred combination to use to assess tofu quality.     

Yield and Quality of Tofu as Affected by Soybean and Soymilk Characteristics: Glucono-delta-lactone Coagulant

Nine light hilum soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] cultivars were used to study characteristics that affect yield and quality of tofu (soybean curd) coagulated with glucono-delta-lactone (GDL). Pressed and packed (nonpressed) curds were examined. Yield of tofu was not affected by size of beans. Protein and total solids in soymilk increased when protein and moisture increased in soybeans. Yield of pressed GDL tofu increased with protein content of soybeans (or soymilk) plus decreased calcium content. Fracturability of pressed GDL tofu increased with levels of phosphorus. Hardness of packed tofu increased with protein content in soymilk. Yield of pressed GDL tofu was 20% higher than CaSO₄ tofu.     

Effects of inulin/oligofructose on the thermal stability and acid-induced gelation of soy proteins

ABSTRACT:  Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic oscillatory shear testing were performed to study the influence of inulin (Raftiline^® HP-gel and Raftiline^® ST-gel) and oligofructose (Raftilose^® P95) on the thermal stability and gelation (using glucono-δ-lactone [GDL] as a coagulant) of soy protein isolate (SPI) dispersions. Addition of 10% (w/v) inulin/oligofructose or sucrose increased ( P < 0.05) the peak denaturation temperatures ( T_m ) of 7S and 11S soy proteins in SPI dispersion (5%[w/v], pH 7.0) by an average of 1.9 and 2.3 °C, respectively. GDL induced SPI thermal gelation, and the gel rheology was affected by both the pH decline and the specific temperature of heating. Addition of inulin/oligofructose (8%, w/v) improved the gelling properties of preheated SPI dispersion (8%, w/v) coagulated with GDL, showing 14.4 to 45.6% increase ( P < 0.05) in gel rigidity ( G ' value) at the end of heating (81 °C). Microstructural examination revealed a denser protein cross-linking structure and reduced pore sizes in SPI gels containing inulin/oligofructose. In general, inulin was more capable of improving SPI gelation than oligofructose, suggesting that the degree of fructose polymerization in the fructans was of thermal and rheological importance.     

Ultrasonic spectrometry study of the influence of temperature on whey protein aggregation

Ultrasonic attenuation spectroscopy was used to investigate the influence of pre-treatment temperature on the formation of pH-induced particulate aggregates in aqueous native and alkaline-denatured whey protein solutions. Ultrasonic attenuation spectra (1–150 MHz) of 2.5 wt.% whey protein solutions were measured over a pH range of 2–12 using whey solutions, which were previously heated at temperatures ranging from 30 to 90°C. There was a large temperature dependent increase in attenuation around the isoelectric point of the proteins (pH 3–5.5), which was caused by scattering of ultrasound by increased protein aggregation. A maximum in attenuation was observed at 80°C. The particle size distribution and concentration of the aggregates was determined using ultrasonic scattering theory. A loss of large particles (10 μm) was detected upon heating. Ultrasonic spectroscopy was shown to be a valuable tool for studying aggregation of proteins in solution.     

Effect of microbial transglutaminase on the rheological and textural characteristics of black soybean packed tofu coagulating with Agar

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) on the rheological and textural characteristics of black soybean packed tofu containing agar as the coagulant. Results showed that the addition of MTGase increased the gelation temperature of soymilk, and produced a firmer and more elastic packed tofu with low cooking loss. Dynamic rheological and textural parameters of the tofu were significantly affected by enzyme concentration, incubation temperature and time. Both G′ and η∗ were positively correlated to the hardness, gumminess and adhesiveness of packed tofu, thus the rheological parameters (G′ and η∗) were good indicators of the texture of the packed tofu. Results suggested that good quality packed tofu could be produced by mixing 90 g black soymilk solid and 2 g agar powder in 1 L of water and incubating with 10 g MTGase for 30 min at 55 °C.     

大豆油体对豆腐凝胶性质的影响研究

通过向脱脂豆浆中添加大豆油体,研究其对豆腐凝胶性质的影响。运用质构仪和离心机分别测定了豆腐凝胶的硬度和失水率。结果表明:非油体成分含量一定时,油体的加热时间延长(0~4min)对豆腐凝胶有利,体现在硬度增加和失水率降低;体系固形物含量一定时,油体与非油体成分含量之间存在一个最佳干基比值(0.143),此比值下豆腐凝胶性质最好,过高或过低凝胶性质均会减弱;室温下,随生豆浆放置时间的延长(0~60 min)制得的豆腐硬度略有下降,失水率没有明显变化。此外,与大豆油相比,油体因其独特的结构对豆腐凝胶有利。     

Effect of thermal pretreatment of raw soymilk on the gel strength and microstructure of tofu induced by microbial transglutaminase

The influence of thermal pretreatment of raw soymilk on the gel hardness and microstructure of tofu, induced by microbial transglutaminase (MTGase), was investigated in this paper. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that individual proteins in soymilk were to a various extent denatured by different thermal pretreatments. The viscosity of the soymilk and the gel hardness of MTGase-induced tofu were more highly related with the heating rate (up to 90 °C) than the mode of heating. At any enzyme concentration of MTGase, the tofus prepared from soymilk heated at 75 °C for 10 or 30 min showed highest gel hardness among all tested ones (P?0.05). Scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated that the microstructure of the tofu from soymilk heated at 75 °C for 30 min had a unique coral-like structure, much more continuous and homogenous than that from soymilk at 95 °C for 5 min. These results confirmed that the appropriate heat pretreatment (e.g. in the present, at 75 °C for 10-30 min) remarkably improved the gel strength of tofu by means of MTGase, and strengthened the tofu gel structure.     

Formation and rheological properties of ‘cold-set’ tofu induced by microbial transglutaminase

Microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) has been shown to effectively induce soymilk with a certain level of solid content to form filled tofu. The gel formation of this kind of tofu and the influence of reaction parameters on the properties of formed tofu were investigated by dynamic oscillatory and/or large-strain rheological measurements. The gelation process and the development of the mechanical moduli (especially the storage modulus, G′) of this kind of tofu were highly dependent upon the incubation temperature. Textural property analysis (TPA) results showed that many TPA parameters of this kind of tofu, including gel hardness, gumminess, springiness and cohesiveness, were also affected by the applied enzyme amount, the pH of soymilk and the presence of NaCl, especially for gel hardness. In addition, the additional heating and cooling treatment could significantly improve the gel strength of tofu, induced by MTGase at lower temperatures (e.g. 25 and 37 °C). These results suggested that a new kind of tofu with good quality could be produced using the enzymatic cross-linking technique, by the combination with the thermal treatment.     

Whey protein concentrate/λ-carrageenan systems: Effect of processing parameters on the dynamics of gelation and gel properties

The thermal characteristics, dynamics of gelation and gel properties of commercial whey protein concentrate (WPC), WPC/λ-carrageenan (λ-C) mixtures (M) and WPC/λ-C spray-dried mixtures (DM) have been characterized. In a second stage, the effect of the gelling variables (T, pH, total solid content) on gelation and textural properties of DM was evaluated through a Doehlert uniform shell design.The presence of λ-C either in mixtures (M) or in DM promoted the WPC gelation at lower concentration (8%). M showed higher rates of formation and better gel properties (higher hardness, adhesiveness, springiness and cohesiveness) than DM.Nevertheless, when the effects of pH (6.0–7.0), heating temperature (75–90 °C) and total solid content (12–20 wt%) on gelation dynamics and gel properties of DM were studied, gels with a wide range of rheological and textural properties were obtained. While pH did not affect the gelation dynamics, it had some effect on rheological and textural properties. Total solid content and heating temperature were the most important variables for the dynamics of gelation (gelation rate (1/t_gel), gelation temperature (T_gel), rate constant of gel structure development (k_G), elastic modulus after cooling (G′_c) and textural parameters (hardness, springiness and cohesiveness).     

Stability of soybean seed composition and its effect on soymilk and tofu yield and quality

Soymilk was made from 10 soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] lines grown at three locations for 2 years, using an 18:1 water/soy protein ratio. Tofu was made with either glucono-delta-lactone (GDL) or calcium sulphate dihydrate (CS). Genotype and year effects were substantially greater than location effects on soybean protein content and seed composition; soymilk and tofu yield, solids levels, and pH; and tofu colour, hardness, and firmness. Genotype by location and genotype by year interaction effects were minor relative to the genotype and year effects. Yield of soymilk, GDL tofu, and CS tofu, which averaged 7.39 l, 6.29 kg, and 6.15 kg per kg soybeans, respectively, were all positively correlated with seed protein and stachyose, and negatively correlated with seed oil, free sugar, sucrose and remainder content. Seed protein was positively correlated with tofu hardness and firmness, while seed oil, free sugar, sucrose, and remainder content were generally negatively correlated with tofu quality parameters. Results of stepwise regression analysis showed that seed protein was the major determinant of soymilk yield and solids content, while soymilk yield was, in turn, the major factor determining GDL tofu yield. Procedures used in making soymilk and tofu play a major role in determining which seed component has a major effect on soymilk and tofu yield and quality.     

Structural and mechanical properties of fish gelatin as a function of extraction conditions

The effect of 18 different extraction conditions on yield, weight average molecular weight, dynamic storage modulus, gelling and melting temperature, and helix recovery was studied. Gelatins were extracted from saithe (Pollachius virens) skins with an average yield of 8.9 ± 0.8% (average ± S.D.; n = 54), on a wet weight basis. High weight average molecular weight gelatins extracted at room temperature exhibit higher resulting dynamic storage modulus, higher gelling and melting temperatures and more helix formation compared to highly hydrolyzed gelatins extracted under harsher conditions. The storage modulus was increased 5 times compared to commercial cold water fish gelatin. The highest gelling and melting temperatures observed for 5% (w/v) fish gelatin were 8 °C and 16 °C, respectively. The present study suggests that the dynamic storage modulus, gelling and melting temperatures and helix content are related and increase with increasing weight average molecular weight up to about 250 kg/mol. The dynamic storage modulus correlates with the helix concentration according to the previously published correlation between dynamic storage modulus and helix concentration, which has been defined as the master curve for gelatin.     

Effect of ultrasonication on the properties of skim milk used in the formation of acid gels

Skim milk was ultrasonicated for times up to 30 min either with or without temperature control. Ultrasonication (US) without temperature control resulted in the generation of considerable heat, with the milk reaching  95 °C within 15 min of treatment. The whey proteins were denatured. Changes to the casein micelle size were observed, with decreases during the early stages of US and increases (because of aggregation) on prolonged treatment. Significant κ-casein dissociated from the micelles. Acid gels prepared from these ultrasonicated samples increased in firmness (final G′) up to a maximum final G′ after  15 min of US, followed by a decrease from this maximum on prolonged treatment. US with temperature control demonstrated that the denaturation of the whey proteins was entirely due to the heat generated during US, although the casein micelle size was still reduced. Acid gels prepared from ultrasonicated skim milk in which the temperature remained below the denaturation temperature of the whey proteins had low final G′, although a small increase was observed with increasing US time. Acid gels prepared from the samples that were ultrasonicated at temperatures above the denaturation temperature of the whey proteins had higher final G′, which could reach values similar to those obtained by the conventional heating of milk. The results of this study indicate that, in skim milk, most of the effect of US can be related to the heat generated from the treatment, with US itself having only a small effect on the milk when the temperatures are controlled.

Industrial relevance

The control and the manipulation of the firmness of acid skim milk gels are important in many dairy food applications such as yoghurts and some types of cheese. US is an emerging technology that could be used to process skim milk for use in acid gelled products. This study has demonstrated that acid gel firmness can be substantially manipulated when skim milk is ultrasonically treated before acidification; however, most of the effect is due to the heat generated during US treatment. As the effects of US are similar to those obtained through conventional heating processes, and as US can control spoilage microorganisms, using US under controlled temperature conditions could be an alternative to conventional heating to give desired functional properties and storage stability to milk products. However, the temperature/denaturation/aggregation would need to be carefully controlled to minimize the detrimental effects of excessive heating.     

A novel global hydrodynamic analysis of the molecular flexibility of the dietary fibre polysaccharide konjac glucomannan

Konjac glucomannans have been widely considered in health food products although their hydrodynamic properties have been poorly understood. The weight-average molecular weight (M_w); sedimentation coefficient (s⁰_20,w) and intrinsic viscosities ([η]) have been estimated for five different preparations. The decrease in both intrinsic viscosity and sedimentation coefficient with molecular weight enables the estimation of molecular flexibility in terms of persistence length (L_p) using the traditional Bohdanecky–Bushin and Yamakawa–Fujii analyses for intrinsic viscosity and sedimentation data respectively. However, this requires an assumption of the mass per unit length M_L. Advantage can now be taken of a recent development in data interpretation which allows the estimation of L_p from combined intrinsic viscosity and sedimentation coefficient data and also an estimate for M_L. Using this “global” procedure an estimate of (13 ± 1) nm is found for L_p and a value of (330 ± 10) g mol⁻¹ nm⁻¹ for M_L.The value for L_p suggests a molecule of considerable flexibility, comparable to galactomannans (L_p  8–10 nm) but not as flexible as pullulan (L_p  1–2 nm).     

Thermal and mechanical behavior of laminated protein films

The whey protein and zein films plasticized by glycerol and olive oil were prepared by casting method and then were laminated. The thermal behavior of the whey protein, zein and whey protein-zein laminated films was investigated by the dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Both techniques showed that the films containing olive oil had higher glass transition temperature (T_g) than the films containing glycerol (e.g.115 and 88 °C in the zein-olive oil and zein-glycerol films, respectively). As well as, the laminated films had higher T_g than the whey protein films (e.g.82 and 31 °C in the whey-zein-glycerol and whey-glycerol films, respectively). The T_g values obtained from two different methods were close. The results showed that the T_gs of the zein-glycerol films predicted by Couchman and Karasz equation were very close to the values obtained by DSC experiments. The tensile tests showed that the laminated films had higher tensile strength than the single whey protein films and the single zein films plasticized by olive oil (260% and 200% in the whey-zein-glycerol and whey zein-olive oil films in comparison to single whey-glycerol films, respectively).     

The viscoelastic properties of soybean curd (tofu) as affected by soymilk concentration and type of coagulant

The viscoelastic properties of different types of tofu were investigated. Soymilk concentrations were 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9%. Coagulants used were 30 mm CaSO₄ or 30 mm glucono‐delta‐lactone (GDL). As the concentration of soymilk was increased viscosity and handling difficulties increased. A high concentration of soymilk in tofu gave a high break stress and produced hard tofu. The four‐element Burgers model fitted the creep behaviour and both viscous and elastic parameters could be acquired from model analysis, reflecting changes in elasticity and viscosity of tofu. The constant viscous parameter in the model increased with increasing soymilk concentration. The viscous parameters of viscoelastic materials like tofu gel, obtained from small deformation tests, seemed to correlate, to some extent, with the break stress obtained from large deformation tests. For hard tofu production increasing the soymilk concentration within a certain range and the partial replacement of calcium sulphate coagulant by GDL could be effective options.     

Effect of controlled gelatinization in excess water on digestibility of waxy maize starch

An aqueous dispersion of waxy maize starch (5%, w/w) was controlled gelatinized by heating at various temperatures for 5 min. The treated samples were analysed using in vitro Englyst assay, light microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. When heated, SDS and RS levels were decreased inversely with RDS. A high SDS content (>40%) was kept prior to the visible morphological and structural changes (before 60 °C). Swelling factor began to increase slightly at 50–60 °C and continued to maximum value at 80 °C. A large decrease in ΔH, crystallinity, and ratio of 1047/1022 cm⁻¹ attributed to partially dissociation of crystalline clusters and double helices occurred at 65–80 °C. These changes showed that controlled gelatinized starch with slow digestion property occurred in the molecular rearrangement process before granule breakdown and SDS mainly consists of amorphous regions and a small portion of less perfect crystallites.     

Effect of surface-active stabilizers on the surface properties of coconut milk emulsions

Previously we have demonstrated improved stability of coconut milk emulsions homogenized with various surface-active stabilizers, i.e., 1 wt% sodium caseinate, whey protein isolate (WPI), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), or polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) [Tangsuphoom, N., & Coupland, J. N. (2008). Effect of surface-active stabilizers on the microstructure and stability of coconut milk emulsions. Food Hydrocolloids, 22(7), 1233–1242]. This study examines the changes in bulk and microstructural properties of those emulsions following thermal treatments normally used to preserve coconut milk products (i.e., −20 °C, −10 °C, 5 °C, 70 °C, 90 °C, and 120 °C). Calorimetric methods were used to determine the destabilization of emulsions and the denaturation of coconut and surface-active proteins. Homogenized coconut milk prepared without additives was destabilized by freeze–thaw, (−20 °C and −10 °C) but not by chilling (5 °C). Samples homogenized with proteins were not affected by low temperature treatments while those prepared with surfactants were stable to chilling but partially or fully coalesced following freeze–thaw. Homogenized coconut milk prepared without additives coalesced and flocculated after being heated at 90 °C or 120 °C for 1 h in due to the denaturation and subsequent aggregation of coconut proteins. Samples emulsified with caseinate were not affected by heat treatments while those prepared with WPI showed extensive coalescence and phase separation after being treated at 90 °C or 120 °C. Samples prepared with SDS were stable to heating but those prepared with Tween 20 completely destabilized by heating at 120 °C.     

Use of meat fluorescence emission as a marker of oxidation promoted by cooking

Accumulation of fluorescent pigments in cooked bovine meat (M. Longissimus thoracis) was studied in relationship with the heating parameters (time and temperature). Muscles were aged at 4 °C for 11 days under vacuum before cooking. Meat cooking was performed by applying jets of steam. Three different heating treatments were tested: two with constant surface temperatures of 65 and 96 °C for 300 s, and one with a continuously increasing surface temperature up to 207 °C. After extraction in water/dichloromethane/ethanol, fluorescence pigments were distributed between the apolar phase (emission 420–440 nm after excitation at 360 nm) and the polar phase, where two emission peaks were seen (emission 410–430 and 515 nm after excitation at 360 nm). Fluorescence in the two phases was little affected by heating at the two constant temperatures while it increased exponentially after 1 min of treatment, as the varying temperature reached 141 °C. The maximum fluorescence increases, measured in the extreme conditions of cooking (207 °C/300 s), were of 5000% in the apolar phase and 1700% in the polar phase. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and protein carbonyls were measured in parallel. The correlations between these two parameters and the fluorescence emission demonstrated that the interaction between proteins and aldehyde products of lipid peroxidation was mainly involved in the production of fluorescent pigments in cooked meat.     

Impact of high-pressure processing on microbial shelf-life and protein stability of refrigerated soymilk

The effects of pressure (400, 500 and 600 MPa), dwell time (1 and 5 min) and temperature (25 and 75 °C) on microbial quality and protein stability of soymilk during 28 days of storage (4 °C) were evaluated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. After processing and during storage, there were significant differences in total bacterial count (TBC), numbers of psychrotrophs (PSY) and Enterobacteriaceae (ENT), and protein stability between untreated (control) and pressurized samples (P < 0.05). Pressure applied at an initial temperature of 75 °C resulted in a greater suppression in growth of PSY compared to TBC. No ENT was detected in pressurized samples throughout the storage period tested. Dwell time had no significant effect on log reduction of TBC at 25 or 75 °C (P > 0.05). Pressure at 400 MPa (5 min), 500 and 600 MPa (1 and 5 min) produced 100% sub-lethal injury in surviving bacterial populations irrespective of temperature. After 28 days of refrigerated storage, both aerobic and anaerobic pressurized samples had better or similar stability as the control on day one of storage. Soymilk control samples were spoiled after 7 days whereas pressurization increased soymilk shelf-life by at least 2 weeks. Pressure (600 MPa) at 75 °C for 1 min not only significantly reduced initial microbial populations and increased the microbial shelf-life but also extended the protein stability of soymilk (P < 0.05).     

Microstructural characterization of β-lactoglobulin–konjac glucomannan systems: Effect of NaCl concentration and heating conditions

In the initial part of this study, the high temperature (85 °C) microscopic phase behaviour of β-lactoglobulin (0.4–6%, w/w)–konjac (0.05–0.75%, w/w) mixtures containing 50 mM NaCl was established using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Also, the effects of heating time (heating temperature: 78 °C) and NaCl concentration (0–75 mM) on protein denaturation kinetics and the phase behaviour in 2%, w/w, β-lactoglobulin–0.4%, w/w, konjac mixtures were investigated using turbidimetry, protein denaturation measurement, CLSM and image analysis techniques. Segregative phase separation occurred in heat-treated β-lactoglobulin–konjac mixtures containing biopolymer and NaCl concentrations exceeding certain critical levels, due to heat and NaCl induced β-lactoglobulin denaturation/aggregation. The microstructural properties of selected heated (to 85 °C for 30 min) and cooled (to 25 °C) β-lactoglobulin–konjac mixtures containing different NaCl levels were studied using CLSM and rheological measurements and the results showed that the microstructure can be distinguished as miscible, phase separated or phase separated containing stable protein inclusions dependent on NaCl concentration. Response surface methodology was used to determine the minimum NaCl concentrations required for phase separation and for formation of phase separated systems containing stable inclusions in a wide concentration range of heated and cooled β-lactoglobulin (0.8–2%, w/w)–konjac (0.2–0.75%, w/w) mixtures. The results show that the microstructural and rheological properties of β-lactoglobulin–konjac mixtures can be controlled by selecting appropriate mixture biopolymer and NaCl concentrations and heating conditions.