Abstract: Fresh wet bean thread, which is made from rice and beans by heat treatment after soaking in water and grinding, has some problems such as poor water-holding capacity (WHC), fast water loss and hard texture during storage. In order to delay the quality changes of fresh wet bean thread during storage, the effects of adding 0, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8% and 1.0% (m/m, on a dry basis) soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) on the hardness, water content, moisture migration, total plate count, acidity, color, and microstructure of fresh wet bean thread were evaluated during storage at 25 and 4 ℃. The results showed that for each storage temperature, the addition of SSPS had little effect on the shelf life of fresh wet bean thread. However, the addition of SSPS enhanced the binding strength between water and starch, made fresh wet bean thread exhibit a porous honeycomb structure, reduced the water loss rate, increased the WHC, and consequently decreased the hardness. Additionally, SSPS delayed the rate of color change of fresh wet bean thread at 4 ℃. Fresh wet bean thread with 0.8% SSPS had strong WHC and small water loss rate and overall hardness during storage at 25 and 4 ℃. The color was stable and the overall whiteness was high during storage at 4 ℃. Therefore, the addition of 0.8% SSPS can effectively improve the WHC and reduce the hardness of fresh wet bean thread during storage, which will provide a theoretical basis for improving the storage quality and market development of fresh wet bean thread.

Key words: soluble soybean polysaccharide; fresh wet bean thread; moisture migration; microstructure; storage quality