Water holding of protein gels

Food products are typically multicomponent systems, where often the spatial volume is set by a protein continuous network. The ability of protein-based food products to entrap water and to prevent its exudation upon mechanical deformation is important for the texture and thus sensory perception of food products. Understanding of structural origins that determine gel water holding is therefore essential, and would allow designing foods with controlled sensory perception. Water removal from the gel (quantity, kinetics and mechanism) is related to the coarseness and deformation of the network. An understanding of the interplay between the effect of coarseness and stiffness on WH in fine and coarse gels allows one to take a better control and tune juiciness and the release of tastants from food products.