Assessment of the physicochemical and textural properties of food hydrogels obtained using pea protein and gellan gum

The aim of this research was to evaluate the physicochemical and textural properties of food hydrogels produced using pea protein and gellan gum. The samples were obtained in 8 combinations using a thermo-mechanical induction technique (pea protein (PP) 0, 10, and 12.5% and gellan gum (GG) 0, 0.5 and 0.75%). The obtained samples were analyzed in terms of their volumetric gelling index, microrheology, texture, physical stability, and color parameters. Based on the conducted research, it was found that the volumetric gelling index (VGI) of most of the obtained samples was equal to 100%. In the case of microrheology parameters, by combining PP and GG, the solid-liquid balance was shifted towards more solid-like properties (SLB » 0.5), which was also observed while analyzing the elasticity index (EI) and the textural properties of the obtained hydrogels. Moreover, the combination of PP and GG resulted in higher stability hydrogels than samples containing only pea protein. Additionally, a color difference between the obtained samples was noticed - DE ranged from 1 to values higher than 5. By varying the concentrations of pea protein and gellan gum, the physicochemical and textural properties of the resulting binary hydrogels can be controlled. In terms of the analyzed properties, the most optimal variant was the one containing 12.5% pea protein and 0.75% gellan gum. Depending on the properties that the final food product must exhibit, a binary protein-polysaccharide hydrogel can be used as a matrix to contribute to that product's physicochemical and textural properties.