Application of High Pressure to Food Processing: Textural Comparison of Pressure- and Heat-induced Gels of Food Proteins

Abstract

Hydrostatic pressure of 1000 to 7000 kg/cm2 was applied on fresh hen egg white and yolk, carp crude actomyosin, a paste of rabbit meat, and a suspension of soy protein at 25°C for 30 min. Gels that stand under their own weight maintaining their shapes were obtained at 6000 kg/cm2 for the egg white, 4000 kg/cm2 for the egg yolk, 2000 kg/cm2 for the carp actomyosin and the rabbit meat, and 3000 kg/cm2 for the soy protein. These pressure-induced gels generally kept their original color and flavor, and were glossy and soft in comparison with heat-induced gels. According to textural measurements, the gels tended to increase in hardness and to decrease in adhesiveness with an increase in the pressure applied. However, they had large extensibility and were not fractured by a high stress. © 1990, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.