The influence of the degree of Maillard reaction on the gel characteristics of preserved egg white

: The Maillard reaction not only imparts a unique color to preserved egg white (PEW) but may also affect its gel properties. To clarify whether the Maillard reaction played a role in the gel properties of PEW, fresh duck eggs were pretreated with different concentrations (0, 20, 40, 60 g/L) of glucose solution before being processed into preserved eggs, thereby controlling the degree of Maillard reaction occurring in PEW. Study revealed that as the concentration of pretreatment glucose increased, PEW exhibited darker color (the color difference value (ΔE) increased from 13.38 ± 0.16 at 0 g/L to 18.48 ± 0.38 at 60 g/L group on day 42), higher browning intensity (the absorbance at 420 nm (A 420 ) increased from 0.348 ± 0.04 at 0 g/L to 0.471 ± 0.05 at 60 g/L on day 42), and lower pH, indicating a higher degree of Maillard reaction occurred in PEW pretreated with higher concentrations of glucose. Simultaneously, the higher the concentration of pretreatment glucose, the poorer the gel properties of PEW (including poorer textural characteristics, lower water-holding capacity, and a looser gel network structure). The Maillard reaction adversely affected the gel properties of PEW by disrupting the formation of disulfide bonds.