Effect of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) protein isolate on the heat-induced gelation properties of pork myofibrillar protein.

BACKGROUND: Heat-induced composite gels were prepared with 30 mg mL-1 pork myofibrillar protein (MP) and chickpea protein isolate (CPI) (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 g kg-1 ) in 0.6 mol L-1 NaCl, at pH 7.0. The gel strength, water-holding capacity, rheological properties, and microstructure of MP-CPI composite gels were investigated. RESULTS: Chickpea protein isolate improved (P < 0.05) gel strength and water-holding capacity of the MP composite gels. The rheological properties of MP-CPI composite gels were improved significantly by the addition of CPI. Meanwhile, the effects of CPI on the storage modulus of composite gels were positively correlated with the increased addition of CPI. Furthermore, according to low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) results, the addition of CPI reduced the relaxation time of the composite gels and the relaxation peak area of free water, indicating that CPI could improve the water-holding capacity of MP-CPI composite gels. The microstructure of MP-CPI composite gels presented smaller and more uniform pores, which means that more water could be retained. CONCLUSION: The addition of chickpea protein isolate improved the gel strength, water-holding capacity, rheological properties, and microstructure of MP gels, indicating that CPI could be a potential protein additive to improve the microstructure, texture, and functional quality of meat products. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.