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Interactions between whey protein and inulin in a model system

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Abstract

Inulin is a commonly used prebiotic ingredients for functional food formulation. The effect of inulin on the gelation properties of whey protein was investigated using whey protein and inulin (WP/inulin) and polymerized whey protein and inulin (PWP/inulin) mixtures at different levels of protein (4–8%, w/v) and inulin (1–5%, w/v). WP/inulin mixture was prepared by heating protein and inulin together while the latter by heating protein alone and then mixed with inulin. Both mixtures were analyzed for turbidity, zeta potential, particle size, and rheological properties. Dispersions became more opaque with increasing protein but there was no significant difference between the two mixtures. A small shift towards larger size and significantly decreased negative zeta potential with increasing inulin addition (1–5%) were observed for both mixtures. WP/PWP and inulin mixtures exhibited a shear thinning behavior. Transition temperature of whey protein increased with inulin addition. WP/PWP and inulin mixtures were induced into cold-set gels by calcium and the gels were analyzed for hardness. Hardness of WP/PWP and inulin gels increased with the increasing inulin. Results indicated that interactions between whey protein and inulin had impact on the gelation properties of whey protein regardless the way inulin added.

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Abbreviations

WP:

Whey protein

PWP:

Polymerized whey protein

WPI:

Whey protein isolates

OD:

Optical density

IP:

Isoelectric point

TPA:

Texture profile analysis

Ca:

Calcium

CaCl2 :

Calcium chloride

ANOVA:

One-way analysis of variance

LSD:

Least squared differences

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Acknowledgements

The financial support for this project was provided by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Project #2013BAD18B07).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science, College of Food Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Xi’an Road 5333#, Changchun, 130062, Jilin, China

    Mingruo Guo, Hao Wang & Cuina Wang

  2. Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Mingruo Guo

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  1. Mingruo Guo
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  2. Hao Wang
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  3. Cuina Wang
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Correspondence to Cuina Wang.

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Guo, M., Wang, H. & Wang, C. Interactions between whey protein and inulin in a model system. J Food Sci Technol 55, 4051–4058 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-018-3331-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-018-3331-7

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