LAUSR

BACKGROUND Plant protein is widely used in the study of animal protein substitutes and healthy sustainable products. The gel properties are crucial for the production of plant protein foods. Therefore, this study investigated the use of soybean oil to modulate the gel properties of soybean protein isolation-wheat gluten composite with or without CaCl2 . RESULTS It was demonstrated that oil droplets filled protein network pores under the addition of soybean oil (1~2%). This resulted in an enhanced gel hardness and WHC. Further adding soybean oil (3~4%), oil droplets and some protein-oil compounds increased the distance between the protein molecule chain. The results of FT-IR and intermolecular interaction also showed that the disulfide bond and β-sheet ratio decreased in the gel system, which damaged the overall structure of the gel network. Compared with 0M CaCl2 addition, salt ion reduced the electrostatic repulsion between proteins, and local protein crosslinking was more intense at 0.005M CaCl2 concentration. In this study, structural properties and rheological analysis showed that the overall strength of the gel was weakened after the addition of CaCl2 . CONCLUSION The presence of appropriate amount of soybean oil can fill the gel pores and improve the texture properties and network structure of SPI-WG composite gel. Excessive soybean oil may hinder protein-protein interaction and adversely affect protein gel. In addition, the presence or absence of CaCl2 significantly affected the gelling properties of SPI-WG composite protein gels. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.