Effect of pre-emulsification of plant lipid treated by pulsed ultrasound on the functional properties of chicken breast myofibrillar protein composite gel

To explore novel methods for reducing the saturated fatty acid content in meat products, pre-emulsified plant lipids prepared using pulsed ultrasound were used to replace animal fat. Chicken breast myofibrillar protein (MP)-soybean oil emulsion composite gels (SMG) were prepared from 3% chicken breast MP with 27.5% soybean oil incorporated as pre-emulsification with 0.5% sodium caseinate (0.6 M NaCl and 50 mM phosphate solution, pH 6.25). One-factor-at-a-time experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of different ultrasound treatment times on the texture [rheology and texture profile analysis (TPA)], water- and fat-binding (WFB) capacities, and microstructural properties of SMG. Rheological tests showed that ultrasound-treated samples formed a more viscoelastic gel than the control. WFB and textural properties were also significantly improved by pulsed ultrasound (P < 0.05). The ultrasound-treated gels exhibited homogeneous fine network microstructures when the ultrasound time was 6 min. G'(72 degrees C) and G ''(72 degrees C) were highly correlated (P < 0.01) with WFB and TPA (hardness, springiness, chewiness, cohesiveness, and resilience). These findings show that ultrasound treatment has potential in improving the fatty acid composition of emulsion-type meat products with good functional properties and high yields. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.