Effects of heat denaturation degree of soybean protein on gel property of instant soybean curd

Abstract: For the heat treatment of soybean is very necessary for the preparation process of instant soybean curd, the thermal denaturation degree of soy protein in the heat treatment process has significant influence on the gel formation strength and gel formation time in the gel forming of instant soybean curd, but there is no suitable standard for the heat treatment degree of soybean milk in the production process of instant soybean curd. In this paper, soybean, soybean protein isolate (SPI), glycinin (11S) and beta-conglycinin (7S) were used as raw material to investigate the gel formation property of instant soybean curd affected by different thermal denaturation degree of soybean protein in soybean. The study showed, the glycinin component was harder to be completely denatured than the beta-conglycinin component, and the beta-conglycinin component and the glycinin component in soybean protein isolate were harder to be completely denatured than the beta-conglycinin component and glycinin component separated from soybean protein isolate. The traditional preparation method, the pre-heat treatment and then spray drying or freeze-drying preparation method, the pre-spray drying or pre-freeze drying and then heat treatment preparation method of soybean curd had different effect on gel formation property. The study found that the traditional preparation of soybean curd had the best gel effect, and the pre-spray drying or pre-freeze drying and then heat treatment preparation of soybean curd had better gel effect than pre-heat treatment and then spray drying or freeze drying preparation of soybean curd. The main reason to the difference in gel strength of soybean curd was the different thermal denaturation degree of soybean protein in soybean, and the beta-conglycinin component and the glycinin (component in the soybean protein isolate had different thermal denaturation degree. When preparing the same gel strength of soybean curd, the lower temperature in the heat treatment needs longer time, and the higher temperature in the heat treatment needs shorter time. When obtaining higher gel strength of soybean curd, the heat treatment temperature and time range of soybean milk would be narrower than to obtain lower gel strength of soybean curd. When the beta-conglycinin component is fully denatured and the glycinin component is incompletely denatured, the suitable conditions for the degeneration degree of soybean protein for preparing instant soybean curd should be controlled as follows: the heat treatment temperate is 80 ℃ with the heat treatment time of 20-65 min, the heat treatment temperate is 85 ℃ with the heat treatment time of 15-50 min, the heat treatment temperate is 90 ℃ with the heat treatment time of 10-35 min and the heat treatment temperate is 95 ℃ with the heat treatment time of 5-20 min. The results of this study provide the important theoretical basis for regulating and controlling the gel characteristics of instant soybean curd.