Abstract:
To address the lack of foam stability of sodium caseinate (SCN) and to explore the feasibility of SCN-based complexes as natural, healthy, and cost-effective egg-alternative ingredients to meet consumers' growing demand for healthier food options. In this study, the foaming property test method was used to evaluate the foam capacity and foam stability of SCN-based complexes and SCN-based complexes were applied to angel cake to investigate their effects on cake batter (density, viscosity, and microstructure) and cake (specific volume, TPA parameters, appearance morphology, and sensory attributes). The results showed that the optimal ratio of SCN-based complexes was 2% sodium caseinate, 0.2%
β-cyclodextrin, 0.1% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose in the pH 6~8 range, which resulted in 639.87% foam capacity and 98.74% foam stability, and the SCN-based complexes could replace 95% of the egg white proteins in the angel food cake formulation and had a significant effect on the density, viscosity and microstructure of the cake batter. The cakes showed good performance in terms of specific volume, TPA parameters, appearance morphology and sensory attributes. The present study significantly improved the foam capacity and foam stability of sodium caseinate, which provides a scientific basis for new strategies for egg replacers in baked goods.