The impact of inulin addition and high-pressure processing on physical characteristics of strawberry-flavoured egg white pudding

Abstract

High-protein egg puddings prepared with traditional food processing may have undesirable textures. Inulin addition and high-pressure processing (HPP) could improve the texture of these products. The physical properties of strawberry-flavoured egg white pudding as affected by inulin addition and HPP were investigated. Four levels of inulin (0, 5%, 10%, and 15% w/w) and 3 processing methods (HPP at 450 or 475 MPa at 25 °C for 10 min, and heat treatment at 80 °C for 30 min) were applied. Regardless of % inulin addition, heat-treated puddings had significantly lower syneresis than HPP-treated samples. HPP at 450 and 475 MPa was shown to induce egg white gelation and yielded a soft texture of pudding than heat treatment. Overall, the addition of inulin in puddings treated with HPP yielded a softer texture, more microporous, and a fluffy texture compared to heat-treated puddings. This study suggested that a 10% inulin addition in the egg white pudding significantly improved its texture properties.