IMPROVEMENT OF EMULSIFYING PROPERTIES OF EGG-WHITE PROTEINS BY THE ATTACHMENT OF POLYSACCHARIDE THROUGH MAILLARD REACTION IN A DRY STATE

Dried egg white (DEW) was covalently attached to polysaccharide (galactomannan) in a controlled dry state (60-degrees-C, 79% relative humidity) through Maillard reaction between the epsilon-amino groups in the protein and the reducing-end carbonyl residue in the polysaccharide. The resulting protein-polysaccharide conjugate had excellent emulsifying properties superior to those of commercial emulsifiers, especially in acidic pH and high salt concentration. The safety of the conjugate was confirmed by using mammalian cell. The growth-promoting activity of the CV-1 cell in DEW-galactomannan conjugate was the same as untreated egg white. Thus, DEW-polysaccharide conjugates may be fruitful products as novel macromolecular food ingredients.