Conjugation of soymilk protein and arabinoxylan induced by peroxidase to improve the gel properties of tofu.

Arabinoxylan (AX) can form stable covalent bonds with protein to improve gel properties. We aimed to prepare a conjugate between soymilk protein (SMP) and AX by peroxidase, followed by the addition of transglutaminase (TG) to prepare tofu gels. The conjugate's properties and their effects on the mechanical properties, rheological properties, and microstructure of tofu gels were evaluated. Results revealed that the α-helix content decreased, the β-sheet content increased, and the surface hydrophobicity reduced from 1.60 × 10 to 1.27 × 10. The optimal amount of AX required to improve the properties of tofu gel was 1.0%. The tofu gel showed better hardness (118.44 g), water holding capacity (WHC) (86.17%), and higher storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G″). Low-Field NMR (LF-NMR) showed that the water was evenly distributed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a denser and more regular three-dimensional gel network.