Effects of strong alkali treatment on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, protein structures, and intermolecular forces in egg yolks, plasma, and granules

In this study we investigated the changes in the physicochemical properties, microstructure, protein structure, and intermolecular forces in egg yolk, plasma, and granule gels induced with a strong alkali. The results showed that egg yolks formed a three-dimensional gel, maintained by ionic and disulfide bonds from plasma and granules, respectively. According to spin–spin relaxation time, these gel systems fixed numerous water and lipid protons. Microstructure showed that egg yolks, plasma, and granules liberated their constituents on disruption, which randomly aggregated or bonded. Under a continuous strong alkali treatment, the second-derivative spectra of egg yolks and plasma appeared as an “aggregation band”, while the ordered structure of granules decreased. The results suggested that the aggregation of alkali-induced egg yolks formed mainly due to structural changes in plasma proteins. Granules contributed to the increased hardness and the bonding of egg yolk gels via disulfide bonds induced by alkali treatment.