Microstructural and rheological properties of heat-induced gels from mung bean protein aggregates

This study aimed to investigate the gel-forming ability of mung bean protein for further adopting mung bean proteins as functional additives in alternative foods. Heat-induced aggregation and gelation from mung bean protein isolate (MBI) at pH 2 were studied at different MBI concentrations (5.0, 7.5, and 10 wt%) and for the different heating time (1, 3, 6, and 16 h) at 90 degrees C. A critical protein concentration of 5.0% was required to form a self-standing gel, and the heating time was determined to be 16 h. When the MBI concentration was increased to 10%, a self-standing gel was successfully formed after even 1h heating time. The texture profile and rheological analysis demonstrated that the MBI gels became hard and brittle (higher hardness, springiness, and yield stress, but lower cohesiveness and critical strain) with increasing MBI concentration and heating time. In the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) measurements, the gels showed more homogeneous and highly interconnected networks with increasing MBI concentrations and heating time. These results can be utilised extensively to improve the structural and functional properties of gels derived from mung bean protein aggregates in the food industry.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the gel-forming ability of mung bean protein for further adopting mung bean proteins as functional additives in alternative foods. The results showed that a critical protein concentration of 5.0% and a heating time of 16 hours were required to form a self-standing gel at pH 2. However, when the MBI concentration was increased to 10%, a self-standing gel could be formed even after 1 hour of heating. The texture profile and microscopy analysis revealed that the MBI gels became harder and more brittle with increasing MBI concentration and heating time.