Abstract:

Ovalbumin was treated with subcritical water at temperatures for different durations, and the effect of subcritical
water on particle size, free sulfhydryls, surface hydrophobicity, kinematic viscosity, foamablility and emulsibility was
investigated. The results showed that subcritical water significantly reduced particle size, free sulfhydryl content and
kinematic viscosity of ovalbumin. Moreover, it also enhanced surface hydrophobicity. The foamabilty increased significantly,
as the temperature of subcritical water increased to 140 ℃. The highest level foamability was observed immediately when
the temperature reached 140 ℃, implying a 3.7-fold increase over that of the untreated one, while with the extension of
treatment time, the foamability decreased. After subcritical water treatment, the emulsibility was improved, and the highest
emulsibility was attained at 160 ℃ for 15 min, representing a 2.5-fold rise compared with the unprocessed sample.

Key words: subcritical water, ovalbumin, foamablility, emulsibility