This paper investigates the relationship between the molecular structure and thermally induced gel properties of duck myofibrillar protein isolate (DMPI) as influenced by the addition of pea protein isolate (PPI). The results showed that b* value of the gels increased; however, a* value decreased with the increase of PPI content (p < 0.05). The whiteness of the gels decreased significantly with the addition of pea protein compared with 0% vs. 0.5% addition. Nuclear magnetic resonance tests showed the area of immobilized water also increased with increasing PPI addition (0–2%), thus consistent with the increased water-holding capacity (p < 0.05). The penetration force of the gels increased with increasing PPI addition (p < 0.05), while the storage modulus and loss modulus of the gels were also found to increase, accompanied by the transformation of the α-helix structure into β-sheet, resulting in better dynamics of gel formation. These results indicated the gel-forming ability of DMPI, including water retention and textural properties, improves with increasing PPI addition. Principal component analysis verified these interrelationships. Thus, pea protein could improve the properties of duck myofibrillar protein gels to some extent and improve their microstructure, potentially facilitating the transition from a weak to a non-aggregated, rigid structure.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of pea protein isolate (PPI) on the functional, instrumental and textural quality parameters of duck meat batters (DMB). Ground duck breast meat was mixed with different concentrations of PPI (0%, 3%, 6% or 9%, w/w) to prepare DMB. The color, cooking yield, water-holding capacity, water distribution and migration, rheological properties and texture profile of the DMB were evaluated. The results showed that the L* value of the gel decreased and the b* value increased with the increasing pea protein addition. The cooking yield and water-holding capacity showed a gradual increase, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). Compared with the control, the storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) were higher at the beginning and at the end and increased with the addition of pea protein, which was in accordance with the Fourier series relationship. The hardness, chewiness and gumminess of the gels gradually increased; on the contrary, the springiness and cohesiveness first increased and then decreased, respectively, reaching a maximum value of 0.96 and 0.81 when the addition amount reached 6%. Adding pea protein to the gels not only increased the area of immobilized water but also decreased the area of free water, thus improving the water-holding capacity of the batters. Therefore, pea protein can promote the formation of a stable and elastic network structure of duck meat batters.

This paper focuses on the effect of malondialdehyde-induced oxidative modification (MiOM) on the gel properties of duck myofibrillar proteins (DMPs). DMPs were first prepared and treated with oxidative modification at different concentrations of malondialdehyde (0, 0.5, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mmol/L). The physicochemical changes (carbonyl content and free thiol content) and gel properties (gel whiteness, gel strength, water holding capacity, rheological properties, and microstructural properties) were then investigated. The results showed that the content of protein carbonyl content increased with increasing MDA oxidation (p < 0.05), while the free thiol content decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, there was a significant decrease in gel whiteness; the gel strength and water-holding capacity of protein gels increased significantly under a low oxidation concentration of MDA (0–5 mmol/L); however, the gel strength decreased under a high oxidation concentration (10 mmol/L) compared with other groups (0.5–5 mmol/L). The storage modulus and loss modulus of oxidized DMPs also increased with increasing concentrations at a low concentration of MDA (0–5 mmol/L); moreover, microstructural analysis confirmed that the gels oxidized at low concentrations (0.5–5 mmol/L) were more compact and homogeneous in terms of pore size compared to the high concentration or blank group. In conclusion, moderate oxidation of malondialdehyde was beneficial to improve the gel properties of duck; however, excessive oxidation was detrimental to the formation of dense structured gels.

A recently identified broiler myopathy known as wooden breast (WB) is predominantly found in the pectoralis major muscle of fast-growing broiler hybrids and is causing significant losses to the poultry industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of WB syndrome on raw meat texture, purge loss and thermal properties of intramuscular connective tissue of pectoralis major muscle in the early postmortem period (1–3 days). Results showed that the presence of the WB muscles condition at 1 day postmortem was associated with significantly increased stiffness (27.0 N vs. 23.1 N) and significantly increased purge loss (1.8% vs. 1.0%) compared to normal breast (NB). However, on 3 days postmortem, these parameters did not differ between WB and NB groups. Insoluble and total collagen content was significantly higher in WB muscles compared to NB muscles, and the extractability of intramuscular connective tissue (IMCT) of WB was also higher (0.42% vs. 0.37%) compared to NB and remained stable in the early postmortem period. There was significantly lower protein content in the sarcoplasmic protein fraction and myofibrillar protein fraction of WB muscles compared to NB muscles (p < 0.05). The IMCT of these two groups showed different thermal properties, as the enthalpy of denaturation (ΔH) was significantly lower in WB muscles compared to NB muscles. The WB syndrome had a great effect on the texture and connective tissue properties of the meat compared to normal muscle, with a tendency for having a lower purge loss and higher raw meat hardness.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the volatile flavor changes in silver carp mince (SCM) gel glycated with different reducing sugars (glucose, L-arabinose, and xylose) based on E-nose, GC-IMS, and sensory evaluation. These results showed that glycation reduced the fishy smell of SCM gel and increased the meaty, toasty, and burnt smell. A total of 10 volatile compounds were considered as characteristic flavor compounds and potential markers. Among them, the main contributors of fishy included hexanal, heptanal, n-nonanal, octanal, etc. Toasty and burnt were mainly related to the production of 3-methylbutanal and furfurol. These results heralded that glycation could be used to improve the volatile flavor of SCM. This research provided a theoretical basis and technical support for glycation in aquatic food flavor quality control, aquatic pre-made food development, and aquatic leisure food processing.