Abstract:

Potato, tapioca and corn starches were individually added to phosphorylated myofibrillar protein from squilla to
explore the effect of starch concentration, sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) concentration and temperature on protein gelation
properties. Results showed that the gel strength and water-holding capacity of composite protein gels with each of these
starches added increased with increasing concentration of STP. Increasing concentration of potato and tapioca starches had
a significant effect on gel strength and water-holding capacity of the composite protein gel (P < 0.05), whereas the effect
of com starch was not insignificant (P > 0.05). The gel strength of composite protein gels with added starch increased with
rising temperature, while water-holding capacity declined. The results of this investigation provide an insight into the use of
starch to improve gelation properties of myofibrillar protein from squilla.

Key words: myofibrillar protein, starch, gel strength, water-holding capacity