Sodium alginate is a natural polymeric plant polysaccharide extracted from seaweed with the molecular formula (C6H7O8Na)n, mainly composed of the sodium salt of alginate, which is a copolymer of α-L-mannuronic acid (M unit) and β-D-gulonic acid (G unit) linked by 1,4-glycosidic bonds and composed of different proportions of GM, MM and GG fragments.
Dissolving sodium alginate in water can form a viscous gel. When high valent metal ions (except magnesium and mercury) are gradually added to the solution of soluble alginate, the viscosity of the solution will be increased until a gel is formed.
Sodium alginate has unique thermal irreversible gelation properties, of which calcium alginate gel is the most widely used alginate gel.
When sodium alginate encounters calcium ions, it can rapidly generate thermally irreversible gels.
The mechanism of gelation is that the carboxyl groups on the molecular chain of sodium alginate can be cross-linked with calcium ions to form an "egg-box"-like mesh structure to retain water and form a gel of certain strength. Since this reaction is a chemical process, the heat of the gel formed is irreversible.
Sodium alginate forms a variety of thermally irreversible gels of different strengths, from soft to rigid, depending on calcium concentration and temperature.
Alginate is an edible and non-digestible large polysaccharide, which has the following functions in the gastrointestinal area, such as water absorption, adsorption, exchange of cations and gel filtration.
When sodium alginate is dissolved in water, it can form a viscous solution, which forms a soluble complex with the protein in the solution to increase the viscosity, and inhibit protein precipitation to form a stable and homogeneous system to thicken the product, and improve the stability of the product.
Sodium alginate has good stability, as a stabilizer of ice cream, it can control the formation of ice crystals and improve the taste of ice cream; In many dairy products, such as refined cheese, whipped cream, dry cheese, etc. it can prevent the adhesion of food and packaging by using the stabilizing effect of sodium alginate; it can be used as a covering for dairy products, which can make it stable and prevent the cracking of frosting pastry.
Sodium alginate can improve the adhesion of products, improve the uniformity and water-holding effect of the internal organization of products, and prolong the storage time.
The unique functional property of sodium alginate is its ability to react with Ca2+, or other multivalent cations except Mg2+ to form thermal irreversible gel. It can be applied in jellies, puddings, gummy candies, meat products and all kinds of bionic and vegetarian foods.
Sodium alginate can effectively reduce the water loss of meat products during steaming and improve water retention.
The property of forming thermal irreversible gel is good for improving the quality of many meat products.
After forming the gel, sodium alginate has good chewing palatability and has the texture of meat tissue, so it can be used in meat products to improve product quality, reduce production cost and improve product quality while increasing product yield.
With the acceleration of consumer upgrading and the arrival of the era of health, nutrition, health, low-fat and other more diversified consumer demand has become the mainstream of the current consumer trends.
Compared to other fat substitutes that can form irreversible gels, sodium alginate fat substitutes can form cold gels and have better emulsification and oil retention, making the application easy and effective.
Sodium alginate fat substitutes in meat products can form complex network-like structures through protein-protein and polysaccharide-protein interactions, cold and heat induced gels, and improve the cooking loss and water retention of the system, and regulate the hardness, elasticity and toughness of the product, thus providing the possibility of its application in the improvement of the quality of low-fat meat products, and bringing new business opportunities for meat companies in low-fat health. It also brings new business opportunities for meat companies in low-fat health.
What is sodium alginate? What are sodium alginate properties? As a thickening and stabilizing agent for food and other industries, sodium alginate has unique functions and advantages.
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