Liu Lan, Li Xin, Zhang Pei, Yan Wenjie, Wu Yingmei, Song Hongbo, An Fengping, Luo Peng, Jin Guofeng, Huang Qun
School of Public Health, Guizhou Province Engineering Research Center of Health Food Innovative Manufacturing, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China.
School of Public Health, Guizhou Province Engineering Research Center of Health Food Innovative Manufacturing, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China; College of Food Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
Ultrason Sonochem. 2025 Jul 26;120:107482. doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2025.107482.
This study explored the mechanism by which ultrasound (0-180 W) assisted ethanol (25 % and 30 %) enhances the gel properties of egg white gel (EWG). The results showed that ultrasonic treatment (stabilized at 120 W) prominently improved hardness, springiness and water holding capacity (WHC) (approximately 2 times, 1.5 times and 1.3 times higher than those of control group). Notably, the gel properties of EWG30% group consistently outperformed those of EWG25% group. The results of physicochemical properties revealed that ultrasound-assisted ethanol treatment promoted the aggregation of soluble particles (the particle sizes was 3.10 and 1.69 times larger than that in EWG25% and EWG30%; while the solubility was increased by 29.69 % and 66.19 %, respectively). Disulfide bonds were identified as the predominant intermolecular force in the gels, accounting for over 70 %, while hydrogen bond content increased approximately 2.5-fold following treatment. The free water in EWGs exhibited a shift toward immobile water. SDS-PAGE analysis illustrated that lysozyme and ovomucoid participated in the aggregation process. Regarding gel structure, the β-sheet increased by 2.66 % and 15.48 % at ethanol concentrations of 25 % and 30 %, respectively, accompanied by a reduction in fluorescence intensity, further confirming ultrasound-assisted ethanol induced aggregation of egg white protein (EWP). Meanwhile, the gel microstructure became more compact, forming a highly ordered network directly correlated with the enhanced gel properties. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that ultrasound-assisted ethanol induction is an effective modification strategy for enhancing the gel properties of egg white, providing valuable insights for its practical applications.
本研究探讨了超声（0 - 180W）辅助乙醇（25%和30%）增强蛋清凝胶（EWG）凝胶特性的机制。结果表明，超声处理（稳定在120W）显著提高了硬度、弹性和持水能力（WHC）（分别比对照组高约2倍、1.5倍和1.3倍）。值得注意的是，EWG30%组的凝胶特性始终优于EWG25%组。物理化学性质结果表明，超声辅助乙醇处理促进了可溶性颗粒的聚集（粒径分别比EWG25%和EWG30%中的大3.10倍和1.69倍；而溶解度分别提高了29.69%和66.19%）。二硫键被确定为凝胶中的主要分子间作用力，占比超过70%，而处理后氢键含量增加了约2.5倍。EWG中的自由水向结合水转变。SDS - PAGE分析表明，溶菌酶和卵类粘蛋白参与了聚集过程。关于凝胶结构，在乙醇浓度为25%和30%时，β - 折叠分别增加了2.66%和15.48%，同时荧光强度降低，进一步证实了超声辅助乙醇诱导蛋清蛋白（EWP）聚集。同时，凝胶微观结构变得更加致密，形成了与增强的凝胶特性直接相关的高度有序网络。总体而言，这些发现表明超声辅助乙醇诱导是增强蛋清凝胶特性的有效改性策略，为其实际应用提供了有价值的见解。
