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The aim of this study was to investigate the gelation process of binary mixes of pumpkin-seed and egg-white proteins. The substitution of pumpkin-seed proteins with egg-white proteins improved the rheological properties of the obtained gels, i.e., a higher storage modulus, lower tangent delta, and larger ultrasound viscosity and hardness. Gels with a larger egg-white protein content were more elastic and more resistant to breaking structure. A higher concentration of pumpkin-seed protein changed the gel microstructure to a rougher and more particulate one. The microstructure was less homogenous, with a tendency to break at the pumpkin/egg-white protein gel interface. The decrease in the intensity of the amide II band with an increase in the pumpkin-seed protein concentration showed that the secondary structure of this protein evolved more toward a linear amino acid chain compared with the egg-white protein, which could have an impact on the microstructure. The supplementation of pumpkin-seed proteins with egg-white proteins caused a decrease in water activity from 0.985 to 0.928, which had important implications for the microbiological stability of the obtained gels. Strong correlations were found between the water activity and rheological properties of the gels; an improvement of their rheological properties resulted in a decrease in water activity. The supplementation of pumpkin-seed proteins with egg-white proteins resulted in more homogenous gels with a stronger microstructure and better water binding.

The aim of the research was to use low-mineral egg white albumin isolate to obtain aerated calcium ion-induced gels and to investigate their aptitude as matrices for active ingredients release. Aerated gels were prepared by adding calcium ions to pre-heated protein dispersions with simultaneous aeration. 20 mM calcium concentration was an optimal concentration at which the maximum viscosity and hardness of the gels were found. For higher concentrations of calcium ions (25–30 mM), aerated gels were characterized by lower values of the moduli and tangent of the phase angle was larger for aerated gels which indicated more viscous character than that of non-aerated gels. Increased ions concentration causes higher aggregation of protein matrix and less smooth microstructure of the interface between the gel and air. An increase in calcium concentration from 5 to 30 mM caused an increase in an average bubble size. The release of calcium ions from aerated gels was measured in an artificial stomach. It occurred by Fickian diffusion through the swelling matrix and it was faster for the gels with higher concentration of calcium. An increase in calcium concentration caused an increase in surface roughness of the aerated gels. There were linear correlations between the quadratic mean of the surface roughness and “n” coefficient from the Ritger and Peppas equation and between the maximum roughness size and “n”. The increased calcium concentration made the gel microstructure more particulate and the surface rougher, which enabled faster proteolysis of the gel in an artificial stomach and faster diffusion of calcium ions.