Hyaluronic acid (HA) is now widely known for its ability to bind water and impart texture. The combined effects of HA and kappa-carrageenan (KC) have not yet been investigated, though. In this study, we looked at the synergistic effects of HA and KC (concentrations of 0.1 and 0.25%, and ratios of 85:15, 70:30, and 50:50 for each concentration) on the rheological properties, heat stability, protein phase separation, water-holding capacity, emulsification properties, and foaming properties of skim milk. When HA and KC were combined in various ratios with a skim milk sample, this resulted in lesser protein phase separation and a higher water-holding capacity than when HA and KC were utilized separately. Similarly, for the sample with a 0.1% concentration, the combination of HA + KC blends demonstrated a synergistic impact with greater emulsifying activity and stability. The samples with a concentration of 0.25% did not exhibit this synergistic effect, and the emulsifying activity and stability were mostly due to the HA’s higher emulsifying activity and stability at 0.25% concentration. Similarly, for rheological (apparent viscosity, consistency coefficient K, and flow behavior index n) and foaming properties, the synergistic effect of the HA + KC blend was not readily apparent; rather, these values were mostly due to an increase in the amount of KC in the HA + KC blend ratios. When HC-control and KC-control samples were compared to various HA + KC mix ratios, there was no discernible difference in the heat stability. With the added benefits of protein stability (reduced phase separation), increased water-holding capacity, improved emulsification capabilities, and foaming abilities, the combination of HA + KC would be highly helpful in many texture-modifying applications.

Compared with low-moisture part-skim mozzarella and mozzarella cheese, bake performance of low-fat and fat-free mozzarella on pizza has a lot to desire. We hypothesized that a water-soaking pretreatment step of low-fat and fat-free cheese shreds before baking would improve pizza baking performance. The study also examined the correlation of the onset of cheese browning with the rate of moisture loss, changes in cheese surface temperature, and 3-dimensional (3D) plot L* a* b* CIELAB color analysis. The pretreatment of soaking cheese shreds in water improved the baking properties of fat-free mozzarella cheese on pizza. Compared with the control sample, which demonstrated significant shred identity, poor shred melt, fusion, and stretch during a pizza bake with fat-free mozzarella, the soaked cheese (SC) sample demonstrated satisfactory cheese melt, fusion, and stretch. In addition, the SC sample had desired browning as opposed to the control sample's excessive browning. The additional moisture from the soaking pretreatment aided in delaying the onset of cheese browning in the SC sample when compared with the control sample. For both the control and SC samples, there was a strong correlation between the onset of cheese browning with the peak of moisture-loss rate, and an increase in cheese surface temperature (>100°C). The color analysis of the 3D plot confirmed the relationship between the onset of cheese browning and the shift in L* (lightness), a* (red-green color), and b* (blue-yellow) values. According to the study's findings, soaking cheese shreds before baking can help improve bake performance on pizza. Furthermore, 3 measurement tools used in the study, (1) moisture-loss rate, (2) cheese surface temperature, and (3) 3D plot CIELAB color, were useful in determining the onset of cheese browning and can be applied to different intervention strategies to control cheese browning during pizza baking.