Redistribution and fusion of protein-lipid assemblies within the egg yolk sphere under slight non-destructive deformation causing a change in thermal gel properties.

Egg yolk production processed after separating egg white is a common method to shorten cycle, but its taste quality will change even the vitelline membrane is intact. This might be related to the slight non-destructive deformation causing redistribution and fusion of protein-lipid assemblies within the egg yolk spheres. We investigated the mechanism of the change in thermal gel properties under slight deformation. The results of microscopic structural morphology revealed that the whole boiled egg yolk (WEY) underwent a transition in protein-lipid assembly morphology within yolk spheres, which changed from local aggregation to disordered fusion in shaken boiled egg yolks (SEYs). The spectroscopic and physicochemical properties analysis demonstrated that the redistribution of protein-lipid assemblies gave rise to marked changes in water migration, texture properties, molecular interactions, and oral sensation simulation of egg yolk thermal gels. This is benefit to guide the regulation of the taste quality egg yolk products in industry.