Influence of lard-based diacylglycerol on the rheological and physicochemical properties of thermally induced pork myofibrillar protein gels at different pH levels

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of lard-based diacylglycerol (DG) on the rheological and physicochemical properties of pork myofibrillar protein (MP) gels at different pH levels. Addition of unpurified diacylglycerol (UDG) or purified diacylglycerol (PDG) significantly enhanced the gel penetration force and water-holding capacity (P < 0.05) and facilitated the formation of a more compact and homogeneous three-dimensional gel network. An increase in the pH and the addition of UDG or PDG enhanced the storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″), and also increased the total α-helix and β-sheet structural content and decreased the number of β-turn and random coil structures. Moreover, increasing the pH and adding DG significantly increased the immobilized water content and decreased the free water content (P < 0.05). Generally, an increase in the pH and addition of DGs shows a positive effect on the thermally induced pork MP gels.