Gellan Gum Enhances the Quality of Egg-Based Yoghurt by Changing the Water Phase Distribution and Improving the Gel Texture

Summary

This study investigates the use of gellan gum as a functional additive to improve the quality of egg-based yoghurt (EBY), a fermented product made with lactic acid bacteria that offers a potential alternative to conventional milk-based yoghurt. The authors found that a concentration of 0.045% gellan gum yielded the highest sensory score (83.57) and optimised gel texture by altering water phase distribution and increasing hydrogen bonding interactions within the yoghurt matrix. The findings suggest that gellan gum enhances the structural integrity of EBY without altering ionic bonding, pointing to a specific physicochemical mechanism for quality improvement.

UK applicability

This study was conducted in a Chinese research context and focuses on a novel egg-based yoghurt product not yet widely established in the UK market. However, the findings may be of interest to UK food technologists and manufacturers exploring alternative protein-based fermented products or functional hydrocolloid applications in dairy-alternative categories.

Key measures

Sensory score (0–100 scale); water-holding capacity (%); gel hardness (g); adhesiveness (g·s); hydrogen bonding and ionic bonding interactions; water phase distribution; gellan gum concentration (% w/v)

Outcomes reported

The study measured the effect of gellan gum at five concentration gradients on the sensory quality, hardness, adhesiveness, water-holding capacity, and gel texture of egg-based yoghurt. It also investigated the underlying physicochemical mechanisms, including changes in water phase distribution and molecular bonding interactions.

Topic tags