Impact of Insoluble Dietary Fiber and CaCl₂ on Structural Properties of Soybean Protein Isolate–Wheat Gluten Composite Gel

The effect and mechanism of soybean insoluble dietary fiber (SIDF) (0~4%) and CaCl2 (0~0.005 M) on the properties of soybean protein isolate (SPI)–wheat gluten (WG) composite gel were studied. It was revealed that the addition of insoluble dietary fiber (1~2%) increased the strength and water-holding capacity (WHC) of the composite gel (p < 0.05) and enhanced the gel network structure compared with the control. WHC and LF-NMR showed that the water-binding ability of the gel system with only 2% SIDF was the strongest. The addition of excessive SIDF increased the distance between protein molecules, impeded the cross-linking of protein, and formed a three-dimensional network with low gel strength. The infrared spectrum and intermolecular force indicated that the interaction between SIDF and SPI were mainly physical, and the hydrophobic interaction and disulfide bond were the main forces in the gel system. The addition of CaCl2 can increase the critical content of gel texture destruction caused by SIDF, and the gel strength attained its peak at 3% SIDF, indicating that appropriate CaCl2 improved gel structure weakening caused by excessive SIDF. This study provides insights in enhancing the production of multi-component composite gel systems.